Alone
by Wingedmidnight88
Summary: Gifted (or cursed) with telepathy and telekinesis, Ayumi almost couldn't believe it when Weyland Industries hired her on the Prometheus team. She had no idea it would go so wrong. Based on an idea I have had in my head for the longest time. OC x Engineer. Rated T for possible disturbing scenes. (I'm in the middle of going through each chapt. & revising so check back often!)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Since someone was **_**kind**_** enough tell me their dislike for the things I put in my fanfiction, I am writing a WARNING. **

**If you don't like any of these things: Japanese women with green eyes, OCs, telekinesis, telepathy and things of that nature, go read something else. If you do not like what I am writing, go find another one or, better yet, write your own. While I have read what 'Guest' had to say, I promptly deleted it as it was pointless and insulting. Here are the reasons why: It is a FANfiction, written by a FAN, it is MY own take on a alternate path with a new character of my creation. I am not claiming any rights to the 'Alien' universe, nor have I ever. Those rights belong to Ridley Scott and anyone else responsible.**

**On a lighter note, thank you to all for your interest and kind words. Also, if you creative criticism, suggestions, ideas, etc, I will certainly take them into account. I will do my best to have another chapter out in a timely manner.**

* * *

_**The is year 2089. The USCSS Prometheus scientific exploratory vessel has touched down on the distant moon LV-223 in orbit around an unnamed Gas Giant after two years of space travel. An alien ship has been discovered its surface.**_

Ayumi Nakamura carefully mounted the stairs with her crewmates, hungrily taking in every single detail of the alien craft. Her curiosity made her feel like a kid in a candy store and she could scarcely breath with the excitement._'I never thought this day would come, I can't believe it!' _She nearly shook at the thought, sending a wave of goosebumps along her arms and spine.

At a young age, Ayumi was taught to speak the ancient Indo-European language as well as German and Russian. She was already fluent in her native language of Japanese but English was a close second. After learning to speak the ancient Indo-European language with all it's strange nuances, she began to eagerly dig into the history behind it. When she was presented with a tablet full of pro-ported alien hieroglyphs to decipher, she nearly burst with epic curiosity. From that moment on, she could not get enough. She had unnatural, striking emerald green eyes behind thin glasses; her hair was stark black and cropped to a pointed bob which framed her pale face. Ayumi was quiet by nature and often came off as haughty. She was usually avoided by other people, and that suited her just fine, language was better company anyway.

She heard the whispering murmur of the crewmates with their incessant buzzing thoughts and burning questions. She pulled out a pre-dosed syringe of medication and injected it into her neck, feeling the cool liquid ooze through her veins, thus quieting the constant white noise of thoughts. David strolled by her, almost startling her with his quiet footsteps. He was an android and had been assigned to Prometheus from the start. He reminded her of an angel with his fair complexion. He stepped elegantly off an edge to a nearby control station. "A superior species no doubt. Their hypersleep chambers will impress, I trust?"

He picked up a flute and played a haunting tune, which activated a tiny holographic globe and expertly pressed on it to open a hatch.

She watched him with uneasiness, all the while glancing back to her crewmates. The fiery-haired archeologist, Elizabeth Shaw, was the first to speak to the android, "So they were traveling somewhere?"

David replied, "I've managed to work out the broad strips and it's fairly evident they were in the process of leaving, before things went to pot." He climbed out of the large seat and walked back over to them.

"Leaving? Leaving to go where?"

David stared at her as if the question irritated him, "Earth." He said with a small measure of acid in his voice as if the answer was obvious.

She looked at him in shock, "But, why?"

He paused for a moment to choose his words carefully, his voice was soft as he said, "Sometimes in order to create, one must first destroy."

Peter Weyland, the elderly CEO of Weyland Industries and their benefactor for this journey, didn't seem to hear any of this conversation, "Where is it, David?" He asked hoarsely.

"This way, sir."

"Oh!" He replied and shuffled ever so slowly to follow David to a coffin-like chamber with the help of Ford, the medical officer and second in command.

"Are you sure he's alive?" Asked Weyland as he hobbled over.

"Absolutely."

"And you can speak to him?"

"I believe I can." David answered calmly before he pressed a series of yellow glowing, rune-like buttons; opening the hatch of a hypersleep chamber. It revealed a pale, masked, humanoid being, covered in thin tubing attached to various points on its alien, biological suit. Ayumi slowly and cautiously walked closer, her curiosity overpowering her caution. To her, its face looked reminiscent of the Greek Gods of old on earth, great men depicted as statuesque with regal and powerful features.

Ayumi's breath caught in her chest as the being's eyes fluttered open, revealing glassy, jet black eyes and giving it a cold and demonic appearance. Its skin was chalky white and devoid of any hair whatsoever anywhere. The being took off it the mask and sat up, but turned and coughed up a strange, viscous grey liquid. It wiped its mouth with the back of its hand, then it looked warily around. One by one, it eyed each crewmember making them squirm under its cold gaze.

Weylend urged David excitedly, ''Speak to him David, tell him we came, just like he asked.''

David obeyed and spoke in the ancient language to the alien. The words sounding primitive, tribal even alien.

Ayumi mentally translated his sentence, _'This man is here because he does not want to die. He believes you can give him more life'_. As he spoke, the being turned to the android and craned its head, listening intently.

Shaw spoke up with desperation in her voice, "Ask him where they're from!"

Weyland looked over at her, irritated, "Silence, woman!"

She blathered on, clutching her stomache, "Ask him what's in this cargo. It killed his people!"

"Shaw! Enough!" The old man snapped before turning to the artificial man, "David!"

The archaeologist ignored him again, "You made it here and it was meant for us. Why?!"

"For God's sake, _shut her up_!" Weyland commanded angrily to the hired mercenary, Jackson.

"Was it-oof!" Shaw gasped as Jackson hit her in her wounded abdomen with the thick butt of his rifle. She doubled over in pain. "Please, you have to tell me! What did we do wrong? Why do you hate us?" She cried, her voice echoing in the giant, round room.

The creature paused for a moment, as if it noticed the rest of the crew for the first time. Ayumi felt a chill run down her spine as it locked its eyes with hers ever so briefly, seeming to sense something from her. She became dizzy suddenly in response to his intense gaze. She grabbed the nearby railing as she hunched over and tried to steady herself; the room spun and making her stomach lurch. Her breath grew short and her vision blurred.

It was long speculated by many that these beings had telepathic abilities, but was dismissed by other scientists. However, Ayumi wasn't so certain. She dragged a hand over her upper lip. The creature stood slowly, straightened and drew a slow breath. She looked up at the seven and a half foot tall humanoid in awe, her breathing near hyperventilation, now matching the panicked breathing of Ford. The being stepped off the pod and stumbled to a crouch, nearly knocking Weyland over. Crew members rushed to his aid, helping him stand straight, he waved them off, "I'm alright, I'm alright. David, continue."

Before standing, the alien responded, its voice gravelly and clearly angry, "_Why are you here? Why have you come_?"

"What did he say? What did he say?" Weyland sounded like an excited schoolboy as he asked his artificial attendant.

"He asked to know why you're here." David replied as he stood from a kneeling position, keeping his eyes locked on the creature.

Weyland licked his lips before speaking up at the towering humanoid, "You-you see this man? My company built him from nothing. I made him and I made him in my own image so that he - he would be perfect, so that he would never fail." The being listened and seemed to study the old man, touching his arm as Weyland point up at it, seeming almost curious.

Weyland continued, his voice strong and almost arrogant, "I deserve this, you and I, we are superior. We are creators… We are gods… and gods never die."

David relayed the gist of what Weyland was saying, _"He is a human from the planet earth and he believes you can grant him eternal life." _

Ayumi felt a sudden wave of white-hot rage and pure disgust emmanating from the creature. The only outward sign of any emotion was the furrowing of its pale brow before it uttered a response. It seemed almost appalled and it waved a white hand for emphasis as it spoke, "_What makes __**you**__ so great to have eternal life? You are __**nothing**__ but a cosmic parasite, only fit for extermination!" _

Ayumi's eyes widened at the ferocity of its reply. Weyland seemed to notice, giving the Engineer a panicked, questioning look before turning back to David. "What's wrong? What did he say?"

David, his eyes never leaving the being's face, replied slowly, "I told him you wanted to live forever. ."

The crew watched as the Space Jockey looked to David, its face now suddenly and eerily serene, reached a hand and placed it on David's head, seeming to caress it and David smiled softly.

A look realization and shock slowly and almost unnoticeably crept across its face. '_Does it know he's not human?' _Ayumi thought with panic as the humanoid suddenly gripped the android's neck and lifted him off the ground, causing a collection of gasps from the crewmembers to echo throughout the giant cockpit.

"No!" Weyland shouted.

With a wrench and a twist, the Engineer decapitated David and struck the the ancient CEO before dropping the disembodied head. Screams and gunshots rang out in the ship as it attacked the crew. Shaw and Ayumi stood side by side in shock. Every instinct in the Japanese woman screaming for her to run, move, do _anything_.

She hyperventilated, glued to the spot sheer terror. The being walked closer to the two women. Shaw ran off and Ayumi backed up, the archaeologist's actions seeming to jar her slightly. She whimpered as she hit a wall. She was trapped and let out a shriek as the strong alien gripped her by the rim of the helmet frame on her suit, lifting her off the ground and pinning her to the wall. She scrabbled at its rubbery, suited, muscled arm, kicking at its torso and flailed, her blows infuriatingly weak.

_"Why have you come?!" _Its deep and gutteral voice reverberating through her teeth. She cringed and turned away with quiet whimper.

Ayumi suddenly whipped back, with renewed courage, now shaking with indignation and fear, "_Answers! Why have your kind created us? Why did you invite us here only to destroy us? What have we done to deserve our destruction?!" _She answered boldly in the alien language, trying desperately not the stumble over the foreign words. The rapid and unintelligable thoughts ceased suddenly and briefly in shock and it looked at her incredulously. The being's stunned expression was quickly replaced by rage as it threw her across the room with a snarl. Ayumi landed heavily, skidding and rolling. Her breath was knocked out of her lungs when she hit the wall, roughly bouncing off it and landing with an almost sickening _'thud'_.

Shaw's breathless yelling in her comm unit cut through Ayumi's desperated gasping, "Prometheus! Come in!" The archaeologist's voice was garbled with static. There was a shocked reply from their ship's captain, Janek, "Shaw?! That you?! Copy!"

"The ship is taking off!"

"What?!"

The director for their mission, Meredith Vickers, could be hear in the backround behind the captain, her voice sounding distant and irate, "What the hell is she talking about?!"

"You can't let it leave! You have to stop it!" Shaw screamed into the communicator.

Vickers' seemed to be leaning near the comm unit, her voice louder, "We're not stopping anything, Shaw! We're going home!"

"Janek! If you don't stop it, there won't be any home to go back to. It's- it's carrying death and it's headed for Earth!"

The captain ignored the woman shouting behind him, "Shaw, this is not a warship."

There was a split second pause when the archaeologist replied gravely, "I know, but you must do it!"

Vickers was yelling now, sounding panicked and angry, "Captain! Let's go!"

"Janek please believe me! Please!"

Ayumi continued to gasp and cough for air as she crawled, watching helplessly from the far side of the huge room as she Engineer prepared the ship, the enormous cockpit slowly rotating to align itself. Their voices were dimming as her eyes began to roll back in her head and darkness blurred her vision.

Her hand flew to her back when she felt the thin skin on an old scar split, '_No! No! Not now!' _She mentally screamed as her body failed her and plunged her into the darkness of unconsciousness. The last thing she saw was the alien seating itself in the cockpit, reaching to press at the controls.

* * *

**Thank you, 'Kukapetal' for your advice on making dialogue paragraphs, it makes my work look more refined.**

**Thank you, 'DragonLadyHere', for helping making this a little 'new reader' friendlier. It is a good idea to describe the crew members a little better for those who don't know much about the movies or franchises but want to read something new.**


	2. Chapter 2

**WARNING! For you Shaw fans, you won't like me in this chapter. I suggest you read another story. . .**

* * *

Ayumi groaned as she rolled onto her side, coughing. She arched her back in pain when she felt the split in the skin on her back, under her suit, the blood seeping and soaking her undergarments. "Ma'am? Are you awake? Can you hear me?" She grimaced and tried to remember who the voice belonged to, it was male and. . .David, the android, that's who it was. She muttered something along the lines of, _"Shinde inai. . . ?"_

"No, I'm afraid I'm not 'dead'." He replied coolly, easily understanding Japanese.

"Are you injured?" He continued, his voice sounding overly kind and calm.

"An old wound from my childhood has opened but I should be alright." She replied after doing a cursory exam, satisfied that she was otherwise alright. She peered around, seeing metallic, organic rubble strewn around her in a neat circle around her.

"There was a curious spike of energy earlier, your 'ability' may have saved your life, ma'am." He mused, seeming to notice her bewilderment.

She slowly got to her feet, warily looking around the sparking and smoking room. "What happened? Where is the Engineer?" She asked, almost frantic.

"It went after Dr. Shaw but I believe she died when the ship went down, crushing her, I assume."

"The ship- What about the crew?"

"Gone, ma'am. The captain crashed the Prometheus into this vessel in an attempt to permanently ground it. I believe Ms. Vickers died in the same manner as Dr. Shaw." It took her a few seconds to register this. Her eyes finally widened in realization, she was alone. Alone on an alien planet with no way of getting back to Earth. No way of finding out why the Engineer and its people want the human race destroyed.

She glanced over at the robot's headless body. "Is there any way to repair your body here? I won't be able to carry you."

"I'm afraid the only known tools are in Ms. Vicker's life pod." He replied, sounding disappointed. She suddenly looked up, hearing a noise from the corridor. "It's back and this ship is not functional, Ms. Nakamura." She picked up a helmet that had rolled nearby, blood splattering on the front, saying a silent prayer for the dead crewmembers strewn throughout the huge, ruined room.

"We'll have to find someway to come back for it." She said hurriedly as she examined it quickly before screwing it in place on her suit, running a diagnostic for any hairline cracks or fractures she couldn't see, going over and picking up David's head and cradling him face up in her arms before limping down another corridor adjoining the cockpit.

"Ma'am, this corridor joins to another that leads out, we may be able to avoid the Engineer." Carefully keeping her injured back straight as she walked down the corridor, clutching the android's head. Her face paled when she heard the angry alien language mentally growing louder as the Engineer drew closer. She stopped and tried to pinpoint whether or not it was in the adjoining hall or further ahead, trying to reach out with her mind, only to get a migraine when she brushed with its consciousness, its mind unfamiliar.

A quiet beeping sounded inside the suit, informing her that thankfully, there were no breaks in the dome. She could barely hear its heavy footfalls through the wall before it suddenly stopped. _"Chikusho. .!"_ She hissed under her breath and suddenly moved again, increasing her pace, _'It knows I'm alive!' _She thought in panic.

She awkwardly half hobbled, half ran through the strange, flickering hall, the rubble casting eerie shadows. She suddenly stopped when she reached an ajar door. She carefully set David's head down and tried to pull open the door, only stressing the wound on her back. _'fuck!' _

David suddenly uttered a series of characters in the alien tongue, "The door may still be operational if you use that sequence." He explained. She jumped when she heard a clatter in the hall behind them, frantically pressing the strange buttons in the order David said. The door groaned and pulled itself open with a jerk. She peered over the ledge to see a drop of about ten feet. She bit at her lip, looking back down to the android's head. She picked him up and with a deep breath, jumped.

She landed roughly, her knees buckling, causing her to fall forward and drop his head, sending him rolling. She coughed and scrambled to her feet, reaching for his head that rolled to a stop, "Are you alright, David?"

He spit out some of the native dirt before replying, "Fine, ma'am, the life pod is that way." He said with a pointed jerk of his eyes. She brushed off the now mud that clung to the milky, saliva-like substance on his face and neck, glancing to where his eyes directed, a thin stream of smoke indicating the damaged vessel. She looked back up to the doorway they came from, grateful to see it was empty. She slipped slightly on the gravelly dirt, running as best she could to the lifepod.

* * *

The small ship was angled to where there was a ledge that need to be scaled in order enter it. She stood on her toes, placing the robot's head on the edge before grabbing onto it herself. With some effort, she managed clamber onto the small edge jutting out, picking up his head. Both of the entrance doors were miraculously unharmed and she entered both of the and going over to the nearby console, entering the command to close the innermost door. She looked around the ruined lifepod, sparks emitting from various points. She unscrewed her helmet with _'hiss'_, freezing when she heard a thumping sound to the right, further inside. "I believe that is Shaw's 'child'."

"What?"

"I will explain later, do not open the door to the Fully Automated Medical-Procedure Pod, she had it extracted in there if I am correct." He warned her as she slowly walked to peer around the corner.

"Where are these tools-" She stopped abruptly at the metallic creaking from the entrance. She whirled around to see the Engineer with it's arms jabbed through the two doors, struggling to wrench them open.

"The fire hatchet, ma'am, that may be a viable weapon."

She ignored him, her breathing panicked, _"Please, why do you wish for our destruction? Have we failed you?"_ She pleaded with the humanoid alien as it opened the doors with a growl, stepping through and towering over her.

"I need not explain to an experiment how horribly we have failed in your creation, we were fools not to give you guidance!"

It spat to her, slowly advancing.

She backed up, mirroring her actions in the alien vessel. _"The wars we have waged in an entirety as a race in pointless greed have no value to me as I am the result of a similar experiment!" _

The being stopped, disgusted, _"All the more reason for your death, to put an end to your misery!"_

"You have no ground to grant me death! That should have been done long ago! You think to destroy me out of pity?!"

She shouted angrily, now unaware of David's head in her arms as he stared up at her.

The bald, pasty alien was about to retort something in reply when there was a loud, inhuman bellow from the medical pod chamber. They both looked in the direction. "This creature matures rapidly, I would not be surprised if it were well over a human's size."

"What the hell is it?"

"A result of an experiment Mr. Weyland wanted me to perform on Dr. Holloway. I did not intend to bring him to harm."

"The black substance-"

She was interrupted by the shattering of poly-glass. There was a harsh growl from behind her, she gasped and looked back up at the Engineer as it stood over her, less than a foot away.

"What have you done?"

It demanded angrily in a low voice, glowering down at them.

David looked up at the alien, _"Only what I was commanded."_ He said coolly in reply.

She looked in the direction of the squeaking from something wet being dragged on the wall, "It cannot be allowed to live, there are is no logical thought, only the need to reproduce. I see what it intends to do and the host will not survive." She said shakily with a gulp. "I also know that it will pick me as a viable host because it senses what I can see, possibly deeming me genetically superior."

She suddenly turned to look back up at the Engineer, her expression determined, "You_ may choose to kill me, but you will be no better than us, killing our own without reason."_ There was a twitch near it's glassy eye in irritation as it looked over her toward the wet, slapping noise unseen. Wordlessly, she put David's head on a nearby chair before going over to a compartment and pulling out the fire hatchet, wincing as she bent down. _"I do not have the physical strength to swing this weapon, you may be more suited for it." _She said cautiously to the Engineer, it whipped back to her, looking her up and down, almost appalled at the gall of her suggesting it help her.

"You can either assist me or perish, I know even **you** will not be able to conquer this creature!"

She snapped at it, barely able to understand the string of coherent thought it was about to voice.

It snarled at her before snatching the axe, slowly walking around her to face its foe. She turned to David, "I may be able to hold it in place." She said warily.

"I have seen the records for your strength in that area, I believe you are right." He replied without doubt. She slowly breathed in and out, trying to concentrate on her target. She had only used her mind for such a thing rarely, it often gave her severe nosebleeds, migraines and dizziness. She possessed psychokinesis through extensive genetic experimentation and engineering in the womb. In her mind's eye, she saw her mental extension as an iron grip, reaching out to take hold of the flailing creature. There was a recoil as she stumbled backward and lost her grip on the slippery creature as it hissed and struggled to simultaneously fit through the tiny window and open the chamber doors.

The engineer slowly approached the giant, many tentacled beast, loosely resembling a grotesque star with a beak-like mouth in its center.

"I will do what I can to hold it in place, it is my only way of assisting you in this."

She told the space jockey carefully, putting a hand to her nose to see if it had begun bleeding yet. It glanced back her, casting her a bewildered look before turning back. The monster sensed the approaching enemy and violently redoubled its efforts to open the door, greedily lowing at its prey. The doors nearly flew off, denting and bursting open.

Bracing her stance, she reached out again and tackled it, pinning it to the floor with a snarl, baring her teeth like an animal, her arms an extension of her mind as she physically reached out. A trail of blood dribbled down her lips and chin and she fought to keep her eyes focused as they began to roll back in pain.

Seizing this rare opportunity, the Engineer hacked at the beast with a feral yell, a gout of acidic blood shooting out and grazing the side of its face and shoulder. It ignored the new wound, continuing to swing at the mutant.

Ayumi dropped to her knees when she could no longer hold it, another recoil physically racking her body and she was nearly blinded by the throbbing, white hot pain in her skull and resulting dizziness. She had never tried to hold something so heavy, powerful and huge. She braced herself on her arms, panting and soaked in sweat and blood, the pain in her back paling in comparison to the one in her head.

There was a squeal of pain from the squid-like mass of muscle as it lay helpless, having been dismembered of nearly all of its main limbs and fatally wounded in the core of its body. The engineer gave it an angry kick, sending it sliding into the medical pod in the center of the room.

* * *

**I hope that this comes out as sounding the way I intended, hopefully not too weird. These are traits that I have always had for this particular character and why I chose to use her. The possibility of genetic engineering, I feel can potentially lead to anything humans could ever want, albeit at the cost of the subject's well being. I'm pretty happy with this chapter. :D**

**For those of you wondering why I killed everyone off, I wanted the opportunity to see this through someone else's eyes, unhindered by personalities I am not familiar nor fond of. I may or may not choose to go over and 'revive' Shaw in this and the first chapter, mainly because she is a main character (Not in this story though. . .).**

**NOTE: This may be the last chapter for a while. To be honest, I didn't expect anyone to read it. I am so happy that there are people with an interest what I have written. I find the Prometheus/ Alien universe extremely fascinating and full of possibilities.**


	3. Chapter 3

Sweat and blood dripped onto the white floor of the lifepod as Ayumi kneeled on her hands and knees, panting. She abruptly stopped and sucked in her breath when she heard heavy footfalls and felt a shadow being cast over her. Her heartbeat was pounding in her skull from fear and pain. She felt the Engineer kneel and saw the grey and glistening of its biosuited boot, its pale toes visible behind the film through her haze of pain. She closed her eyes tightly and waited for it to finish her in her weak state. . .only nothing happened.

_"You wished for my destruction, did you not?"_ She slowly asked through gritted teeth. There was no reply and she gasped when it suddenly took hold of her chin roughly in its smooth and warm fingers and slightly squishing her cheeks in the process as it lifted her face to meet with its own. She opened her eyes to a slit to see it studying her carefully, an overtone of caution creasing the porcelain-like features on the unharmed side of its face.

She winced at the sight of the acid burn on the left side of its face, ending at the edge if its shoulder. She flinched when it lifted its other hand and put a finger to her lip and drew it back to inspect the blood and releasing its hold on her as it rubbed the red liquid gingerly between its fingers, curious.

The pain in Ayumi's head was beginning to ebb, replaced with the intense, throbbing pain in her back of her further opening it by crouching and bending her spine. She put a hand to her back in response and pressed on it with a pained gasp. Her face paled when she looked back up, it was giving her a wary frown and craning its neck to see what she was doing with her hand to her back.

The face of this being was positively male and Ayumi couldn't help thinking that if they were indeed genetically identical, couldn't be assumed that this humanoid was indeed a 'man'? She also guessed there were also women if this were the case.

The woman swallowed nervously and tried to slowly straighten her spine, _"My back was injured when I was a child. It did not heal properly and has opened again." _She explained slowly, choosing her words with caution and watching the being carefully.

David startled them both from his place on the ratty chair when he spoke up abruptly, "The tools should be in the main bedroom, ma'am. I will be able to assist you if we bring them back to my body."

The Engineer slowly stood as he looked to the talking head on the chair. Panic rose in Ayumi's throat as the alien stared down at the android with an expression of what looked like contempt. She suddenly stood and instantly regretted it and nearly fell over from the sudden stabbing pain. She gritted her teeth but stayed silent and clenched her hands into fists before composing herself and gingerly putting a hand to her back as she spoke pleadingly, _"Please, do not harm him. I need his assistance."_

_"I will spare your life because you have saved mine."_ The Engineer told her solomnly, as if he was almost regretful. _"Why have you come here?"_ He asked suddenly, repeating his earlier question only this time under better circumstances.

She pulled her hand away and looked down at it, expecting to see blood. The pain was starting to recede slightly as she looked back up at him, _"I have come for answers. My curiosity steered me to find out the origin of our people, why your kind have created us." _The more she spoke this ancient language, the more natural it seemed to her and given how long she studied it, she was nearly thinking with it.

The alien looked at her for a long while, seeming to contemplate. She looked away uncomfortably, something about those glassy black eyes unnerved her. She went and picked up David's head and cautiously headed into the bedroom and David spoke up, "There should be a compartment on the far right corner near the door. The tools are in there and I will explain how to reconnect the spinal unit and wiring when we go back to my body."

The tools were exactly where David said. Ayumi slid the compartment door open and pulled out a laser cutter, soldering device and several various components. She stuffed them into a nearby duffel bag before carefully setting the android's head on the bed and to the bathroom to wash off the blood on her face. She sighed and looked at her reflection in the cracked mirror and moved to take off her glasses, only to grab emptily at her face and realize they were missing and must have been knocked off her face when she passed out. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, the exhausted woman with bags creasing under her bloodshot emerald eyes staring back at her.

She was startled by the voice of David in the next room, "Is everything alright, ma'am?" Ayumi shook her head and went back into the bedroom and picked him and the bag back up before walking out of the room.

She froze when she saw the Engineer crouching and examining a book with a tilted head, his large white fingers fluttering through the pages with a curious expression. Ayumi cleared her throat to get his attention, _"I must go back to your ship. His body lays there and I must repair it."_

He suddenly looked up, his eyes wide and brow furrowed as if he was surprised at the notion, _"Why repair such an abomination?"_

The human gave him a thoughtful but wary expression before looking down at the head cradled in her arm, he gave her a small and calm smile in response before she looked back up to the alien, _"He and I are alike, both with similar origins. I am the result of extensive genetic experimentation. I can manipulate physical objects and see the thoughts of others with my mind. While I __**am**__ human, many others think me an, abomination." _She nodded down at David before continuing, _"He was created for the express purpose of serving organic beings. He and I the only ones of our kind."_

The Engineer held the smaller humanoid's gaze when she looked up from the head and spoke again, _"You are also alone."_

He seemed to consider this with an air of irritation as his furrowed a hairless brow at her. The human noticed his annoyance but made no outward acknowledgement and spoke up again when he didn't reply, _"Will you assist me? Perhaps you can contact your people." _She headed over to the exit and stopped to replenish her oxygen supply. She tried her best not to bend her back, only awkwardly reaching down with a hand and lowering herself with a rigid back to to pick up her helmet and screw it back on. She looked back to see the Engineer watching her cautiously and seeming unsure of the purpose of her actions. She swallowed nervously when he slowly approached her with a studying expression, as if he was trying to determine if she was a threat or not.

Ayumi took a step back and started when David spoke up from his place in the crook of her arm, "We must keep moving. A storm may be moving in." The head told her. She looked down at him and gave a brief nod before shifted the bag strap on her shoulder opposite from the one holding the android's head and going to the console and carefully press the sequence to open the doors.

She swallowed and peered over the edge overhanging a short, five foot drop. She carefully stepped off the edge and nearly lost her footing and David in the gravel. She looked around to see hundreds blurry and bright spots dotting the landscape from the recent crash, fires. She squinted her eyes at the dark and foggy shape of the 'Juggernaut', the name the crewmembers recently adapted for the alien ship. _'I could really use my glasses right about now. . .'_ She thought bitterly before trudging off toward the grounded and smoking vessel. She glanced back to see the figure of the Engineer standing the doorway of the life-pod, his expression blurry and unreadable to her. She fidgeted, repositioning the head in one arm and the bag on her other shoulder before sighing quietly and continuing.

She stood before the giant ship, staring up at it, wondering how in this world she was going to get back in. _"There is a lower entrance behind the vessel."_ She jumped when the alien spoke to her, she turned around to see him watching her carefully. His guttural voice guarded.

She swallowed and started to make her way around the gigantic ship. _"There."_ He told her with a point of a finger, his arm outstretched over her. She looked to where he was pointing to see a closed door, barely visible to her on the ship's hull.

"My glasses, David, I wonder if they are still intact. ." She mused quietly to his head before making her way to the door.

"That seems very unlikely, ma'am."

They entered the maze-like ship, the Engineer leading the way and warily glancing back to her every now and again. It seemed like hours of walking through the hauntingly dark and organic halls. The walls seemed to glisten with moisture and made Ayumi feel like she was walking through the ribcage of some great and winding snake. She slowed to a stop at an arching and open doorway and spied the familiar and shadowy room filled with mysterious urns of the black and dangerous mutagenic substance that disfigured and killed some of the more unfortunate crewmembers of the Prometheus.

"Miss, we must keep moving." David reminded her and she slowly tore her gaze from the bioweapons and looked down at her companion's head in her arm and then up to the Engineer looking over his shoulder at her with a frown. Ayumi swallowed and limped to catch up with the towering humanoid.

Ayumi took a breath when they stopped. Her heart sank when she saw the dented and sparking door, they would have to find another way in. She was in the middle of wondering how long her oxygen would hold out when she heard a scraping and groaning of metal and looked up to see the Engineer pulling one side of the doors back and nearly showering himself in bright green sparks.

She stiffened with shock when he nodded for her to go in. He gave an impatient grunt when she didn't move, the muscles on his neck visibly straining as he held the door open. Ayumi blinked away the shock on her face before hurrying through the door.

Ayumi carefully wove around the rubble in the huge, circular room and made her way to David's miraculously intact and twitching body and gingerly setting his head down just above the torn neck before letting the bag slide from her shoulder with a grateful sigh. She pulled out the tools and laid them neatly in a row. She looked up when she heard the Engineer grunt with effort as he rolled over a particularly large piece of rubble to get to the scintillating console it was blocked by. He looked up and caught her gaze for a moment before looking down and he trying to operate the flickering holo-display.

After careful instruction from David, she was able to reattach his cranium with some difficulty, nearly losing her patience twice and very much tempted to toss his head to the far side of the room, "It will take a few moments for my body to recognize the new connection, Ms. Nakamura, please be patient." She just nodded absently, watching the Space Jockey expertly navigate on the 'computer'. He shook his head in disappointment and noticed her watching him and gave her what looked like a dirty look.

She blinked and looked away uneasily and back down to the android, "David, do you suppose that there is a stigma attached to humans with his kind?" She asked quietly.

He had a glazed over look in his eyes before he answered, blinking and focusing on her, "It would seem that way. He didn't seem to hesitate when he saw us."

"He was in hyper-sleep for two-thousand years, yes? It must be the pointless wars the human race waged during that time. I would not be surprised they knew they were mainly out of greed."

The android seemed to consider this as he slowly lifted a hand to his face and cautiously flexed his fingers, "That may be true."

She nervously watched him gradually move the rest of his body, "Can you move now?" She asked hopefully.  
He gave her a practiced smiled, "Yes, I think I will be alright now, thank you for your help, ma'am. I would not be able to move without it. Perhaps we should go back to the pod to tend to your wound."

She rolled her shoulders carefully, feeling the blood trying to dry and attaching itself to the inside of her suit and making one giant substitute scab. She visibly winced as it shifted with her movement. David stood and offered her a hand to her to help her up. She gratefully accepted and was pulled to her feet. She looked over at where the Engineer, he seemed to have given up on the console he was working on and moved to another one, tapping away on it.

David was the first to walk to the alien, _"Perhaps we should try another, more operational vessel to use for communication."_ The Engineer suddenly looked up and gave the android a disgusted glare, ignoring him and turning his attention back to the controls.

David looked back at Ayumi, "I don't think he likes me, hm?"

"I think you may be right. . ." She said quietly and scratched the back of her head as she looked around before suddenly speaking, "Consider this, David, you were made artificially and are therefore not biological. I, however, am. I was taken from the my mother's womb and transferred to an incubation tube when I was a three month old fetus. My mother died due to complications with a procedure. It seems to me that we are only different in the way we were, 'born' and our overall makeup." She mused, seeming to be thinking aloud.

He suddenly smiled, "I must say, it is refreshing to speak with someone who has some measure of intellect." His face went serious before he continued, " Although I think he may see us as vastly different beings. Perhaps he pities you."

"I think you may be right." She said and cleared her throat before approaching the Engineer, _"I must properly tend to my wound. He and I must return to the small vessel." _

He looked up and eyed her carefully and shifted his jaw thoughtfully as he considered this, _"I may be able to assist you. I must go to another vessel, there are more, many more, nearby." _He said grudgingly.

She widened her eyes at this, _'Why would he help me? Maybe there __**is**__ compassion in these beings. . .' _She thought and glanced back to David.

The Engineer climbed over a rubble piece to stand near the door and look over at the two smaller humanoids, _"Come."_ He commanded.

David looked to Ayumi, "Perhaps we should follow him?"

She pursed her lips uneasily and nodded before obeying and following the alien and trying not to shift wound open again.

The Engineer led them out of the inoperable Juggernaut and Ayumi lagged behind, her breath ragged with pain despite her efforts to keep her back straight.

David turned back, "Ma'am? Do you need help?"

She looked up with a pale face and licked her chapped lips, "Please." She replied breathlessly and without another word, he strode over to her and smoothly swept her off her feet with his arms under her knees and upper back. She yelped in surprise, "David!"

"Yes? I see this as the best option, at least for now."

The Engineer whipped back at her cry with his stance lowered defensively. He blinked and frowned as he straightened when he saw David carrying his companion and jogging to catch up. The woman he held had her arms folded with her eyelids starting to droop.

The Engineer eyed them carefully,_"Is she not well?"_

Ayumi started when he spoke and looked over at him, surprised that he addressed her as a 'she', _"I may have lost more blood than I originally thought."_ She replied wearily.

"Please, Ms. Nakamura, take this time to rest until we reach the vessel." The android chided her gently.

"Thank you, David." She replied as she let head droop forward with the bottom of her helmet resting on her chest.


	4. Chapter 4

**I hope you all like this next chapter!**

* * *

David laid Ayumi down on a table that materialized from the floor, the top panel lifted up and the bottom solidified beneath, leaving a space about a foot off of the floor, the entire structure hovering solidly. They were in what looked like a 'medbay' in the new Juggernaut. The android unscrewed her helmet carefully, setting it aside and prying open one of her eyes with a thumb and forefinger, "Ma'am? Can you hear me?"

Her eyelids fluttered open at his voice and she looked around warily, spotting the Engineer nearby at another holo-display. The table she was laid on looked like a surgery table unit on earth only a much more sophisticated version. The device was more streamlined and cleaner than a human could ever possibly make. A set of four arms folded out from inside the table, gracefully arching over her in gentle, sideways 'V' shapes.

"Ma'am, you must remove your suit, it would be a good idea if we kept it in one piece for later use." He told her as she tried to sit up. She said nothing as she unhooked the helmet frame to get to the closure at the front of the neck. David helped her pull off the suit, carefully.

She shrieked in pain when the bond of blood to her skin and suit pulled from the wound and skin, an audible and slow, _'craack'_ could be heard, revealing the long, ragged wound. It opened slightly when she moved her back, making it look like a grotesque, gasping mouth. Her once white undergarments were now red and soaked with blood. Blood trickled from the weeping wound, pooling at her sides and seeping further into her panties.

She caught the image of her laying on her belly from the Engineer's mind as he moved closer, curious and wary. She copied the image and carefully lay on her stomach with her cheek on the black and cold, smooth table, her heart beating fast and nervous. "May I ask how you were injured as a child, Ma'am?" David asked, sounding genuinely curious, somehow.

Only able to move her eyes, she blearily looked over at David as he stood by her side, "It was part of an experimental surgery. They were trying to modify my spine for better control of my abilities, I was only twelve."

"Did they succeed?"

"In a way, yes, after the long recovery process, I was able to control them better with less side effects. However, the chemicals and other elements they attached to my spine prevented the skin from forming properly and as a result, it is very thin." She said, suddenly starting with a gasp at the cold fingers on her nearly bare back, someone was untying her strapless bandeau to show the whole of the wound. The entire scar ran the length of her spine, beginning at the base of her skull and ending just above her hips.

"David, is that-"

_"Another part of experimentation?" _The alien interrupted her, sounding bitter.

"Right here, Miss." Her face reddened when she realized David was standing next to her and not on the other side were the cold, smooth hands originated.

She cleared her throat awkwardly, _"Yes, the result is better control of my mental abilities at the cost of the skin forming improperly."_ She replied quietly.

He made a strange, scoffing noise, _"So primitive and easily avoided. This is something even **I** know and I am not familiar with healing studies in the least."_ He said, sounding distant, as if he was moving away.

_"Be still, this will apply a layer protection to the area, allowing it to heal properly." _He ordered.

She closed her eyes tightly, bracing herself and waiting for something to staple or sew itself to her back painfully, but only felt a wash of cold liquid over the wound and surrounding skin. She also expected to be drenched from it but it seemed as though it wasn't a liquid at all and was gone as if it evaporated, replaced by the feeling of a smooth cloth being laid on her back and pulling itself taut before adhering.

_'Why help me?' _She couldn't help thinking as David leaned over her and retied her bra carefully before helping her sit up. "David, please hold up the suit, I need to run the sterilization program." She told the android, who obeyed and held it up before her as she sat on upright, her legs dangling over the side of the floating table. She reached inside and unlatched a small button, starting the program. She looked over her shoulder at the Engineer, watching intently as he faced another strange console. A flat holo-screen was inches from his face and he typed in a series of commands and it moved to meld with his injured face and shoulder. There was a short flash and a bright green vapor rose from the wounds as he pulled away. The small cloud dissipated and revealed his face to be in the process of healing, skin slowly creeping over the raw flesh until it completely healed, the biosuit slowly following.

She watched with a slack jaw, in utter awe and fascination. He moved a hand over the new skin, rolling his jaw to make sure it healed properly.

"Fascinating. . ." She breathed, David watching as well, his expression almost mirroring hers. "Sterilization complete." The lifeless voice of the suit told her as David unzipped it and helped her into it.

_"May I ask you a question?" _She asked the Engineer timidly as her companion handed her the helmet frame.

He gave her a cautious frown, _"You may, what is it?"_

_"Will you tell me your name? I will tell you mine."_

He seemed to weigh the risks involved in revealing his name before he replied with a bit of a sigh, _"You may call me Korvak." _

She blinked, a small smile creeping on her face, _'I know the name of one of our Progenitors!' _She thought giddily, as if she just met a celebrity.

He looked at her expectantly, she noticed and remembered, composing herself, _"I am Ayumi."_

He gave her a strange look, as if trying to pronounce it in his head, _"_Aoomi._" _He said out loud, making a face at the unfamiliar word on his tongue._"_Ueoomi_."_ He repeated, seeming more for himself than anyone else. She looked over at David, surprised when he shrugged, watching the Engineer. _"_Aiyuemee._"_ He said slowly at last, his gravelly voice not matching the Earth name at all.

She grinned, unable to contain herself, _"Yes! Just like that. Would you like to know his name?"_

He gave David a dirty look in response, turning back to her, _"Perhaps you and I are not as different as my people have said, smaller, yes, but perhaps not so different."_

_"How do your people portray humans?"_

She blurted, almost clapping a hand over her mouth. He studied her for a moment before carefully speaking, his face scrunching itself up almost comically,"Hewmahns?"

She blinked, trying to register what he was trying to say. She realized he was trying to say 'Humans'.

_"That is what we call ourselves as a race." _She explained, seeing the confusion on his face.

_". . .Interesting. . In response to your question: Your existence is not widely known to my people. I was only told for this journey, should we encounter your kind. We were told that you are a violent race, have no moral reasoning and are a horribly failed experiment that must be put to death."_

She gave a shrug, _"As I have said before, the wars we have pointlessly waged out of greed have no value to me as an individual."_ She said thoughtfully. _"Is that the reason you were headed to Earth, our planet? With the containers of the black, changing substance?"_

_"Yes, we were told to deploy the urns upon your planet. To destroy any and all inhabitants."_

_"Do you still intend to do so?"_

_"No, but not out of pity. I realize now that it has been too long, I must contact the others, they may have other orders."_

_"Two-thousand years is indeed a long time. Although, it could be easily assumed that your people still live." _She said, moving to stand closer to David as she double checked all of the connections on her suit. Korvak's face fell as though he just realized something.

_'It has been so long, there are none of my kin left. . .' _She heard the melancholy thoughts seep from him in slow shock as he backed up, now horrified. He was alone.

'_I know that feeling all to well.'_ She couldn't help thinking as she looked back to David, he seemed to be watching the humanoid's expression closely, taking in all of this new information. She stepped forward, her expression understanding and serious, _"We are more alike as individuals now, than we are as a people. On my planet, I have no kin and no companions, only those who wait for me to return for answers."_

He looked at her, his eyes wide, still trying to comprehend two-thousand years. She turned back to her only companion, "You and I. . . are alone as well."

"Yes, we are." He said quietly, his voice serious.

"Does this. . make us friends?" He asked, suddenly and uncharacteristically wary, almost childlike.

She widened her eyes at this, "I was assuming we were friends a long time ago, David."

He brightened, "I am glad to hear that, ma'am. Out of all of the crewmembers, you are the only one to treat me as a 'person', and for that I am grateful."

"David, as I have said many times before, we are alike in more ways than you might realize. I was treated as somewhat of an outcast among the crew, much like you. While they themselves did not get along all that well with each other, they generally avoided me, even though they had no idea I could hear their thoughts." She said, sounding almost exasperated.

"Why do you suppose that is? Were they told at all of your past?"

"No, they didn't know about that either, only that I was. . .'weird'." She said with a sigh, looking around, realizing Korvak was suddenly missing.

"He must have gone to find communication." David mused.

"Surely you must have seen the layout of this ship before you woke him." She said hopefully, a twinge of panic creeping into her voice.

"Of course. Follow me please, Ma'am." He replied, gesturing for her to follow him out of the door. She cast the medbay one last look before following him through the maze-like Juggernaut, finally meeting up with Korvak.

She watched as he tapped rapidly on a runic 'keypad', constantly glancing up at the flat, and orange octagonal screen hovering above a short, pillar-like protrusion that served as the main part. She squinted her eyes to try and make out the scrolling, alien text, accompanied by indistinguishable images, visible from both sides.

"He's trying to connect with the main network. . ." She informed David quietly, seeing images and hearing rapid thought from the Engineer.

"With a race as advanced as theirs, it is entirely possible that they would be at least a few lightyears in range of our position." He said quietly, looking around the room. She mirrored him and spotted a strange looking seat of some kind near a bony wall, past the other strange consoles. She slowly walked over, the texture of the seat looking much like the Engineer's biosuit, albeit smoother and with less ridges, with a dull, matte finish. She gingerly put a hand to it, surprised that wasn't cold and clammy, but rather warm and inviting. She seated herself, it gave like a mix between a cushion and a waterbed.

"David, come see this." He was already kneeling and inspecting it, putting a hand to it as she did, curious and studying.

He seated himself next to her, looking rather stiff and over-composed in comparison to her. She leaned back wearily, starting when Korvak suddenly began speaking rapidly to the console, his deep, grating voice cutting through their silence.

She had a hard time understanding what he was saying, she turned to David expectantly, "He is telling them that he is on the 'condemned moon' and he is the last survivor. He also hasn't mentioned us."

The Space Jockey paused, listening to the reply before speaking again, sounding less frantic. The response sounded as clear as though they were in the room with them. "They said that they abandoned this moon long ago and no one is to go near it. They are, however, willing to meet us in the next system on the condition that he is thoroughly decontaminated."

"I don't blame them, this seems like a military drill that has gone horribly wrong. . . Do you suppose they will try to hurt us?"

"I would think so, given _his_ reaction when he saw us. He also has agreed to their terms, they have also mentioned a 'Council', I'm assuming that is their form of government."

Korvak sighed, seemingly in relief as the display vanished. He seemed to forget they were there, starting slightly when he saw them.

Ayumi and Korvak held each other's gaze for a few moments before either of them spoke, _"What will you do with us?"_ She asked, her voice stern as she stood from the 'couch'.

_". . I will bring you with me. Unless you wish to stay here." _He said after a few more moments.

_"There is nothing for either of us here." _She replied, her voice somber. She sensed that he did not distrust her nearly as much as when they first met, almost as if he respected her.

_"They will not be as understanding as I am." _He told her seriously.

_"I am already aware of this."_

_"You will have to prove to them that you intend them no harm. Perhaps **then** they may understand."_

She looked to David, almost wishing she could read his 'thoughts'. "There is nothing left for me back on earth, only greedy scientists who are waiting for me."

"Crucial data for them, I take it?"

"Not anymore. One of us might die, but I suppose it doesn't make much of a difference. I only know that I need more answers, I want to know why they created us. I think we both already know to a degree why they want to wipe us out."

* * *

**It may be a bit slow while I gather different ideas for the next chapters, thank you all for watching and reviewing, it really makes my day!**

**PS: All of the ideas for the alien equipment, etc. came from my mind, I hope you like them!**


	5. Chapter 5

Ayumi opened her eyes to a world of neon green, she knew where she was, in one of the many tubes in the lab she grew up in. She was curled in the fetal position, suspended in the liquid, her long, black hair hovering around her naked body like a halo. She slowly peered over the tubed oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. She moved slightly, instantly racked with excruciating pain, remembering the enormous needle in her spine, nearly running the length of her back. It was preventing her from moving as well as using her mind externally.

Being in this glass tube always made her sleepy, her eyelids slowly sinking. "Subject thirty-three, wake up." She lazily opened her eyes when she heard the annoyed voice being broadcast from a speaker directly above her, in the lid of the tube. She said something in Japanese that sounded suspiciously like an insult, her voice low.

"While I am here, you will speak _english_, thirty-three." He said, sounding disgusted. She raised her eyes to a glare, the liquid bubbling angrily around her from her mind. He turned to a technician, "Raise the dosage to another ten miligrams." He said casually. She felt the concentrated liquid clawing its way up her spine, raking the tender nerves. She closed her eyes tightly in pain, pulling her mind back.

This was her least favorite person, Dr. Baker. He transferred to the Japan branch of the Weyland-Yutani company from America and _supposedly_, he was an expert in Genetics and their potential values. Either way, she couldn't stand how condescendingly he always spoke to her, like she was an annoying pest. She eyed his round form blearily, a half glare creasing her tired features.

She opened her eyes, he was giving her a small, smug smile. In her worst English,"I _do_ have a name, you know." She said slowly, drawing out each unciation with a heavy asian accent, knowing full well he couldn't stand it.

"Yes, yes, of _course_ you do." He replied impatiently, his voice bordering on contempt. He adjusted his glasses from the other side of the thick glass, "We're nearly done with this test and will be able to go back to your quarters, _Ayumi_."

Her eye twitched in annoyance at the last part, the way he nearly spat out her name, if only this damned needle wasn't through her spine, she would love to toss him against the wall like a rag doll. She let her eyes close and felt the familiar coolness of the normal dosage of the test solution coursing up her back as it was being injected.

"Miss? Ayumi?" She slowly blinked her eyes open, looking for the source of the male voice, it wasn't that horrible little man, Dr. Baker, it was someone else. . "Right here, ma'am. Are you well? You looked as though you were in distress." She looked over at David, his features soft and simulating worry.

She sat up, "I'm fine, David, just some memories I would rather forget." She said wearily.

"Ah, in the lab I take it?"

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "How did you know that?"

He tilted his head curiously, "I've watched you dream when we were in transit on the ship, this particular instance occurred often. Your heart-rate was elevated, indicating a level of distress." He replied, as if it was obvious.

She looked at him for a few moments before rubbing her eyes tiredly, looking around, noticing she was in her underwear that was slightly crunchy from the dry blood. She peered under the dark gray, water-like cloth that was covering her, it was smooth and comfortably cool. She looked beside her underneath the blanket, seeing and feeling the same surface as the 'loveseat' in the communications room earlier, with tones of grey and black with a dull finish, instead of glistening like the biosuit the Engineer wore. She almost didn't want to leave it, it was so comfortable.

She shifted her shoulders, expecting to pull at the scar on her back, only feeling for the first time since she was small, no pain or strained skin. She put a hand to the small of her back tentativly, running her fingers on the smooth skin, only a trace of the ragged, old wound. Her hand trailed to her tailbone, to the small, circular scar where the metal needle port was removed before her journey. It was also smooth and nearly gone. "Interesting. . ." She murmured, eyeing the dark, bonelike framework along the walls of the room. Everything was annoyingly blurry with her bad vision. "Where are we?"

"We are near our destination. The Engineer has gone to rest in one of the crew chambers nearby. You fell asleep in the navigation room, ma'am."

"How long?"

"Two hours, three minutes. I would suggest you rest some more before we arrive in the system, you will need your energy."

Her stomach growled rudely, she looked at him, "I don't suppose you found anything for me to eat, have you?"

"Yes, ma'am, I remembered that you have to eat." He said with a smile, turning to one of the utility pouches at his hip, pulling out a black and smooth, oblong shaped item, it looked like a glossy stone.

She eyed it warily as he gave it a squeeze, opening the center to reveal what looked like a small, light brown cake, it reminded her of ration bars. "Are you sure it's edible?"

"Positive, he ate one before he went into his quarters, surely it must be alright for _you_ to eat."

"Where did you get it?"

"He gave it to me."

She looked shocked, "Why?"

"I believe he showed concern for your well-being."

"What-what did he say?"

A blank look came over his face before he spoke, _"This is not for you, construct, give it to her when she wakes." _David said, suddenly reverteding to the voice of the Engineer. Her eyes widened, shocked at the android's ability to replay it with his own lips, it was _creepy_.

She collected herself, giving him a strange look before speaking, "Erm, yes. . .I wonder why that is. Now that I think about it, I _did_ faintly sense something earlier, something akin to respect, or something of the like."

"Perhaps it is because you saved his life."

She didn't answer as she took the object from David and gave it a sniff, it smelled grainy and faintly sweet. He reached over and gave it another squeeze, opening it further and she gave it an experimental nibble, finding that it tasted rather bland and had the texture of cheese, it was pleasantly strange. She ate it quietly, grateful to be getting something in her stomach. "I analyzed it and found that it is mainly digestible protein and fiber, possibly for long journeys such as this." She nodded, finishing the last bit, it was surprisingly filling.

She gave him back the container and looked around for her suit, "Why did you undress me?"

"I assumed it would be more comfortable, I have no intention of humiliating you."

"I know, David, thank you for your consideration. I trust you."

"Thank you, Ma'am."

She rubbed her eyes again, 'What have you been doing? Do you know where their homeworld is?"

"I have known that for some time, Miss. I have, however, done some research on their lore and history and it is quite intriguing."

"Really? Please, continue."

"Of course. Their planet is much like Earth but a bit larger and much colder, temperatures dipping far into the negative, particularly at night."

"With the technology they have, I would imagine they don't have any difficulty. Have they made other species like humans?"

"In the same way, yes. They have 'seeded' other primordial planets just as they did for Earth when it was young."

"How?" She asked eagerly as she straightened and folded her legs under her.

"From what I have read, they perform a ritual with a chosen individual and it is considered an honor. They then ingest the substance much like the one I used on Dr. Halloway and it disintegrates their body to basic building blocks and over millions of years, said building blocks form the new species."

She was listening intently with large, fascinated eyes. "Incredible. . ." She breathed with a smile. "What about their government, the 'Council' you mentioned earlier?"

"Yes, they are governed a selected group of individuals they call 'The Council', much like Earth's 'Geniocrasy'. Each with traits such as wisdom, intelligence, innovation, etc."

"Sounds like old men who make the decisions." She muttered, reminded of Earth.

"I suppose you could put it like that." He said, sounding thoughtful.

"What about their women?"

"From what I gather in the ship archive, they are treated as equals to the males and seem more intelligent, much like human men and women."

She snorted, amused.

He smiled, "I don't understand."

"So, the women are a bit smarter, hm? I just find that amusing."

Still looking mildly confused, "I see."

_"Do not speak unless you are spoken to." _Korvak told her hours later as they stood at the large docking doors. Her heart was pounding and she resisted the urge to grab David's hand, keeping her arms rigidly at her sides. She only nodded stiffly, trying to slow her breathing, she was excited and terrified at the same time. She strained to hear the thoughts of the approaching Engineers on the other side of the huge doors, unable to make out the rapid language, only seeing flashes of images; urns, the substance, a barren planet.

'_They had to have known what would happen if something went wrong. ." _She thought and gave in, snatching David's hand in her own, feeling him turn slightly to her. The doors rolled open and about five or so towering beings walked through, two slimmer and slightly shorter than the rest. She realized they were women. They all wore identical grey biosuits, their faces each unique in their own way but concurrently similar. It was eerie and fascinating at the same time.

She swallowed nervously when the group suddenly stopped when they saw the smaller humanoids standing next to Korvak.

_"What is this? Treachery! You bring these abominations to us?!" _A particularly burly Space Jockey barked the apposing Engineer. Korvak growled, stepping forward, _"Enough! This one has saved my life, I will not tolerate this hostility!" _He snapped at him in return, gesturing to Ayumi, his arm held out in front of her protectively. _"_

_She speaks our tongue and possesses a powerful ability. The construct is her companion, you will not harm either of them!" _He snarled commandingly. She looked up at him, nearly floored by him protecting her.

_"You dare to command me?!" _The larger male responded hotly, stepping forward as well.

_"Enough! You will do as_ _**I**__ say!" _A female growled to him, her voice less grating and gravelly than either of the males'. Ayumi sensed the authority radiating from her, she must be in command of this ship. The woman roughly shouldered her way past her subordinate. The large man hesitated before he stepped back, shooting Korvak a glare. _"I will allow this because the Council seeks to speak with one of their kind. There were whispers of one of their vessels out by the condemned moon."_ The woman continued, her voice stern. Ayumi swallowed and shrank back slightly under the glower she got from the other beings.

She locked eyes with the Space Jockey woman, feeling her caution and power seeping into her mind, as if a warning. Ayumi straightened and sent a warning of her own; men being tossed with her mind, the memory of pinning the enormous, squid-like creature and assisting Korvak. She wasn't someone to be underestimated.

The female narrowed her eyes and gave the human a considering, suspicious look. _"You speak our language? What is this ablility you possess?"_

_"I have studied your language extensively and I am well versed. I have the power to manipulate objects and see others' thoughts with my mind."_

She frowned dubiously,_ "How is this done?"_

_"I am the thirty-third in the line of many in the creation of an advanced individual of my race. I have had extensive genetic experimentation and engineering since I was conceived." _She replied, her voice strong. The woman held her gaze for a few moments before gesturing commandingly for the entire group to move through the docking bay and into the other, unfamiliar ship.

The other, younger looking woman pointed to a chamber door for Ayumi to enter, David and Korvak being instructed to do the same to two others. She was followed in by the female before she nervously looked up at her, _"Undress and step into the chamber."_ She ordered the smaller humanoid, beckoning to a tall tube in front of them. She did as she was told, the flushing in her face creeping down her neck as she stepped in the now open tube, stark naked, self-consiously hugging her arms. The female Engineer didn't seem to care, only walking over to a console and entering a series of commands.

_"Be still."_ She told Ayumi, giving one final press of a button. There was a flash and the tube was flooded with a pale, blue, tingling mist. A bright green holo-sheet descended on her, encompassing the length of the tube, scanning over her body, back and forth several times until it seemed to determine her thoroughly decontaminated. There was a strange beeping noise and the mist dissipated and the holoscreen vanished, the tube door smoothly sliding open.

The woman waved for her to come out of the chamber, pointing to her underwear and suit hanging in a similar tube, cleaned now as well. Ayumi nervously dressed herself, noticing her tube-like bra was now completely white, matching her panties. She stepped into the suit and pulled it on, making sure everything was in place before looking up at the woman again. _"Come." _She said, stepping out of the room and waiting by the doorway.

She was led back into the hub room, now meeting with Korvak and David. "Are you alright, Ms. Nakamura?"

"Yes, David, thank you."

Korvak shot her a warning look for speaking. The female leader stood before them, _I am Rakel and I am in command of this vessel. While you are on this vessel, you will do as I command or risk severe punishment." _

_"As you say." _Ayumi replied respectfully, dipping her head forward slightly.

Rakel turned to Korvak, _"You, what is your designation?"_

_"I am Korvak, one of the soldiers chosen to go to the world, Tersa."_

The woman seemed satisfied with this answer, looking back to the smaller beings. _"Jeslik will show you to the quarters you will be staying in." _She said, pointing to the other female Space Jockey.


	6. Chapter 6

Ayumi looked around the alien room, it looked like the one they were in before, but with more beds and seemed like it was suited for military. She swallowed and looked over and up at her Engineer companion, he was also surveying the room, his dark eyes darting carefully. His eyes suddenly flicked to her,

_". . .Did they harm you?"_

_"No, I am well. . . I would think __**you**__ would be the last to worry for my well-being." _She replied, speaking her mind. He looked mildly offended, _"I am not without compassion, Ayumi." _

She stiffened when he said her name, it was so strange coming from him. She decided to ask the same,_"What of you? Did they harm __**you**__?" _She asked, surprised when a rumbling sound came from him, he was chuckling! _"No, you need not be concerned."_ She blinked and looked over at the android, "David, did they do anything strange to you? Hurt you?" He was in the middle of intently studying a storage unit on the wall when he turned to face her, "No, Miss, only the decontamination. Thank you for your concern." She nodded, satisfied.

_"What did you say to it?" _Korvak suddenly asked, sounding almost suspicious. _"I was inquiring if __**he**__ is well. He is." _She replied, seeing his frown to her pointed emphasis on 'he'. _"You insist on regarding it as one of your kind, why is that?" _He asked, ignoring her frown, _"As far as I am concerned, he __**is**_ _one of my kind. Perhaps not of the same race, but we are similar individuals and I treat him as such." _He seemed to ponder this with a slight scowl as she continued, _"You may remember that I am often treated differently among my people. For much of my life, I did not interact with many of them outside of where I was born." _He didn't seem to have a reply for that either as she went over to examine one of the beds, there were a total of four, lined up neatly, probably to house soldiers. She sat on one of the beds, watching David explore everything in sight. "Please, be careful, David, you don't know what these things do and you could end up offending someone as a result of your meddling."

He stopped, slowly looking back, she noticed that there was a look of disappointment and irritation for a split second before he replied and turned away, "Yes Ma'am, you could be right." He said obediently. She was taken aback, startled at his sudden expression. She remembered a look like that when Dr. Halloway would say something demeaning to him. It seemed the archeologist was almost constantly pointing out how 'not human' David was. That is, before the scientist died.

She would have to keep an eye on him, she couldn't have an 'angry' David to contend with. She wondered if he was evolving. She'd heard myths of AI programming evolving into self awareness and the idea was frightening. While she _did_ care for David, she was also wary of him, knowing he'd previously had ulterior motives when he was on the Prometheus, not nessesarily just as a steward, but to study and do whatever it took to get any answers for Weyland. It was possible that's _how_ he was told to carry out these orders. She shook her head, she couldn't be so paranoid. . .

Her mind turned to other issues and she suddenly felt brave, speaking up, _"Korvak." _He seemed to have the same reaction as she did at an alien speaking his name, stiffening and looking over at her, _"What is it?" _She swallowed her hesitation, _"Why would the Council wish to speak to me?" _He shook his head with a sigh, _"I am merely a soldier and no dignitary. It could be possible that they may wish to speak with one of your race who is not power hungry." _

Realization seemed to slap her in the face when she heard this. Stunned, she swung her legs around to dangle them on the edge of the bed behind her to face him._ "Hold_,_ they have spoken with one of my kind after our creation?" _She asked with wide eyes. He had an expression that said he might have said too much. She could almost hear the _'oops' _when he looked at her. He gave another, breathy sigh before sitting down on the other bed, directly across from her, resting his forearms on his legs. _"Yes, although it has been two-thousand years since I have been in contact with my people. We were given the order to leave to go to Tersa, the world you call "Earth". I do not know the details, only that your kind seemed to have done all they could to disappoint them."_

_"I suppose there is no point now in apologizing on their behalf."_

_"I would think the time for that has passed."_

She gave a sigh, wishing she could take back whatever damage her people have done with their creators' trust. _"Do you believe I will be imprisoned?" _She asked quietly, looking down at her suited boots, somber. There was a shift in his thoughts as looked at her, _"It is possible. However, you are not directly responsible for your people's transgressions, rather a victim of them. Perhaps they may be willing to listen, perhaps they may be angry, I do not know." _He answered honestly, she sensed a slight elevation in irritation, not at her, but of what her people did to create her. A few moments passed before either of them spoke. David went and sat on the bed behind her, watching her carefully.

_"Watashi wa anata ni shitsumon ga arimasu?"_ He suddenly said in her native language, probably to make her feel more comfortable. *"_May I ask you a question?"* _She suddenly looked back at him, suspicious, _". . . .Hai, sorehanandesuka?"_ She replied slowly, easily slipping into Japanese and pulling her legs back to the other side of the bed to face him. *_"Yes, what is it?"*_

_*_"_Why did you hold my hand? Where you frightened?"* _He asked, tilting his head curiously. She felt Korvak watching them, he was slowly realizing they might be speaking a different language. *"_Yes, David. I thought they might try to harm me."*_ She replied with a sigh, better to be honest.

"I see. Did I provide any comfort in easing your fears?" He said, now in english, his voice and face simulating thoughtfulness. "Yes, David, thank you. You are my only companion from Earth, I am thankful you are with me, as a friend." She said, following suit and reverting back to english with little difficulty, thankful he asked in Japanese, it _did_ make her feel a bit more comfortable. An intrigued 'hm' came from him as his processed this data.

_"What is it?" _Their Engineer companion asked suddenly, not wholly appreciating being kept out of the loop. She looked over, raising an eyebrow, _"He was inquiring about one of my earlier actions." _He gave her a blank look, clearly not understanding what she was talking about. _"I. .Held his hand for a form of comfort." _She slowly explained, her cheeks flushing slightly. He just frowned and raised an eyebrow, not fully understanding why she would look for comfort in _'it'_. She shook her head, _'No matter how many times I say it, he isn't going to understand. The prejudice goes too deep. . .' _She thought as she looked back to David, he had been watching them.

"Why do you suppose they have such an aversion to androids or any artificial beings?" She asked him. He sort of stared at her before replying, his face blank, "As Dr. Holloway had said when I asked why he thought I was created; "Because we could." It sounds to me as though man thinks he is too godlike to be judged." She blinked, if she didn't know any better, she thought she saw resentment on the android's face. _'The same answer I get every time I ask myself why I was 'made' the way I was, because they could.' _She thought bitterly. "I suppose it's bad enough that they're disappointed in man to begin with, but even further so with his creations." She said thoughtfully, her expression wearily frustrated. She saw him nod out of the corner of her eye.

Korvak suddenly stood, his biosuit making a low squelching noise. She looked over her shoulder at him, his face lit by the light somewhere unseen in the silvery ceiling. Through her rather hazy vision, she realized his eyes weren't actually black, but dark grey. She slowly stood and walked around the bed she was sitting on, her eyes wide, seemingly mesmerized by this new discovery. She stood in front of him, less than a foot away, squinting her eyes as she tried to make out the details of his face. He gave her a confused look and almost stepped back, but stayed where he was, watching her carefully. She absently motioned for him to lean forward slightly. He blinked and slowly complied, his eyes suddenly widening as well, as if he just noticed something. He mirrored her expression, each intently studying one another's features.

She noticed the purple, spidery veins trailing along his jawline, under his chalky, near translucent skin. Where the whites of a humans' eyes would be, there was pale grey framing a darker shade of the iris and the pupils an oblong cross shape. He suddenly put a hand on her head, the weight of it making her jump. He gently lifted a portion of her raven-black hair, letting it fall onto a wave back on her head, his fingers trailing to trace her eyebrows, a look of fascination creeping onto his face. She closed her eyes and let him touch her eyelashes, seeing the image playing in his mind. It tickled slightly and she couldn't stifle the giggle bubbling up. He drew his hand back, the confusion on his face slowly melting into a smile.

She abruptly but slowly reached up to feel his jawline, the skin soft despite the lack of hair. He watched her, his eyes amused as he let her take a turn at studying his face. She traced her fingers over his smooth lips, they blended in perfectly with the rest of his skin complexion. She suddenly grinned and giggled again, pulling her hand away. This was apparently contagious because he grinned in turn and chuckled throatily. He frowned when he looked over her, at David. She looked over her shoulder to see him watching them with wide eyes. Korvak cleared his throat, making a strange gutteral sound in the process, _"We should rest, we will need our energy." _She looked back up at him, he was now looking off somewhere, as though he was suddenly lost in thought.

She slowly extended her mind out and felt his hesitation and caution about arriving to his home planet. He was wondering how much had changed, if any, if any of his relatives or colleagues were still alive, maybe preserved like he was. She was surprised when she felt his worry for her when they would arrive, whether they would hurt her and that he would fiercely defend against anyone who would try to. _'They must place a great deal of respect on those who do right by them. .' _She thought, flushing again slightly as she looked back to David. "Will you stay here while we rest? What will you do?"

"I need to perform my self maintenance. I will stay and watch over you, ma'am." He replied, sounding falsely kind, bordering on sarcasm. "David, is there something wrong? While I cannot read your thoughts, I can read your face." She suddenly said, realizing at the last minute that he would probably refuse to tell her. "Are you angry with me?" She asked seriously when he didn't answer, only looking at her with a blank look. She remembered he would do this to try and throw her off, or anyone. He was about to speak and judging by the look on his face, his expression was almost patronizing. But before he could form any words, she spoke first, her tone irritated, "Don't tell me you can only 'simulate' emotions, David. I've seen the look you gave Holloway when he would belittle you, maybe he didn't but I did."

He only stared at her. She folded her arms, "Did it bother you when I asked you not to touch anything? Please, be honest. Now that Weyland is dead, where do your orders come from?"

"From you, Miss. You are the only surviving member of the Prometheus and my protocol dictates that it falls to you."

"That doesn't mean you have to like it, hm?"

"I do not 'like' things, Ma'am."

"Don't be ridiculous, please. I know you like things like movies, learning, discovering. You may or may not notice, but I _have_ seen your face light up when you talk about these things." She said, sounding a bit disappointed and feeling like a mother scolding her child for lying. "Please keep in mind that I have no intention of offending you. I just want you to be safe, not because you protect me, but because I care for you." She said when he didn't reply right away, her voice almost pleading. He regarded her with an expression of mild suspicion before speaking, ". . . You care for me?"

She nodded, brushing the hair from her face. His expression went blank again, as if he didn't know how to react, "I have not had a human care for my well-being. . ."

_'He probably wasn't designed to be someone's companion, not exclusively anyway. . .' _She thought with a mental sigh.

"You do now, David." She said with a warm smile, "I have to rest now. Don't hesitate to wake me if you need something." She said as she looked back to Korvak, who was now bare from the waist up, stretching his arms up with a mighty yawn. Her face reddened and her eyes went wide, her shoulders hunching embarrassedly as she turned away. The glimpse she got of the near blinding white of his wide torso was impressive with finely toned muscles, _'Just like a statue!'_ She thought incredulously as she unhooked the helmet frame and the harness around the suit, pulling it off over her head, leaning them against the side of the bed and getting under the covers, too self conscious to take off her suit and wishing she had 'real' clothes.


	7. Chapter 7

Ayumi had slept fitfully, images of Korvak and the other Engineers' dreams flashing and mingling with her own. She sat up and looked around the room, the light dimmed somewhat. She wished she'd had taken more of her Psy Injections, she would have been able to sleep better, would have been able to separate her dreams from those around her. Korvak seemed to be dreaming of the last mission, it was a fragmented memory, he didn't seem to remember everything.

_"The Black Death has been released! We cannot contain it!" The commander yelled to his crewmembers. "Quickly! If any of us are to survive, we must take refuge in the pods!" He shouted, his voice strained with desperation. They were the last ones of their crew; Korvak, Velaka, Jaros and Zahur. Velaka was their leader for this expedition. _

_Blotches of black were beginning to overtake Korvak's vision as he climbed into the chamber, laying down and allowing the tubes to snake out from compartments hidden in the sides to attach to his suit automatically, a breathing mask lowering itself onto his mouth and nose before the darkness swallowed him into unconciousness._

The images were beginning to dim slightly as she rubbed her eyes, consiously making an effort to pull her ever listening mind away from his. Her telepathy was constantly feeding into all the thoughts around her. After years of practice in the laboratory, she was able to dull some of the noise. She mentally cursed herself for relying on the medication she was 'prescribed' for quieting the thoughts and trying to somehow dim the sleeping thoughts.

_Writhing and black, the creature hissed as it slowly approached it prey, its bony, spine-like tail flickered like a cat stalking its victim. The black and elongated, eyeless head glistened in the dimly lit hall, flashing before it leapt with an angry shriek-_

Korvak bolted upright from his bed, his breathing hard as he looked around the room before running a palm down his face. His nightmare was playing out like a horror movie in her head. She watched him, her expression exhausted. He rubbed the back of his head, glancing over at her and doing a double take when he realized she was watching him. She didn't look away, her eyes locking with his, a blank look on her face, she could almost feel the bags under her eyes weighing her down. She was so tired, she couldn't sleep and dim the thoughts at the same time.

She yelped suddenly when something touched her right shoulder. She whipped to see David standing over her, his hand in the middle of pulling away from her. She put a hand over her heart and looked up at him, catching her breath.

"Ma'am? Are you alright? Can you not sleep?" He asked with a tilt of his head. She put a hand to her foredhead, a headache growing in her skull.

_"Watashi wa, dabide ni jibun no kangae o kiku koto wa dekimasen." _She replied quietly, rubbing at her head.

_"_Ah, yes, you were prescribed medication for that, hm?"

She nodded, staring at the dark, silvery sheets on her lap._ "Watashi wa, anata wa, mohaya sore o motteinai made, anata ga hontōni nanika o minogasanai to katei shimasu. . ." _

"So I've heard. Are you aware that you're speaking Japanese?"

She rubbed at her eyes and stared up at him for a moment before looking back down at her lap. "Sorry about that, David. I tend to forget when I'm tired." She said quietly with a sigh, looking back over at Korvak, he was staring at her. She pulled her lips behind her teeth, forming an uneasy line as they stared each other down. She felt a sense of mental warmth from him, making her even more sleepy, he was trying to reassure her. She almost expected him to be angry for 'intruding' on his thoughts, not to be sympathetic.

_"My apologies, I cannot block the thoughts around me when I rest."_ She told him quietly.

_"You have seen what I have seen then." _He stated to more than asked her. He seemed to know that this wasn't something she could help, he also knew there wasn't anything he could do to help her.

She just nodded, looking away. _"I have. I cannot seperate my own thoughts from those around me when I sleep, so I have __**felt**__ what you have felt in that memory. I was given treatment vials I would inject to quiet the voices. I no longer have it."_

_"Rest. I must tend to some things." _He told her sternly, moving to sit on the edge of the bed before suddenly fiddling with something at the bottom rim of the biosuit at his waist. The grey, glistening of the rubbery suit crept quickly to cover his torso, finally ending at his wrists, the transition of the suit to the edge of his skin was completely seamless, as if it were naturally part of him.

He pointed at David, _"You, watch over her." _He commanded, his expression fierce. The android dipped his head respectfully, _"Of course." _The Engineer eyed him suspiciously before heading to the door, stopping in front of it and looking back at her. She swallowed as she looked up, he needed be updated on the current events of his people. She felt a warm ripple as he mentally chuckled and shook his head.

"You, watch over her."I ordered the construct as I walked to the door, shooting him a glare. _Deiwotāts_, I was referring to it as a '_him'_. . . The small female called 'Ayumi' insisted that she treat it as one of her own, I will never understand the reasoning behind this. . .

_"Of course." _Was its reply. I doubted that he-_it_ would harm her, she seemed to trust it with her life. I stopped before touching the rune to open the door, turning to look back. I looked to her face, locking with her strange, green eyes. I trusted this smaller being a great deal in such a small time, something I never thought possible before meeting her.

I smiled slightly, letting her peer into my mind. For so long I have slept, I need no more for now. I shook my head before pressing on the rune, letting the doors slide open, grateful that this small aspect of my people had not changed. I walked through the dark, familiar halls of the vessel,the boney protrusions in the walls, the smooth, organic texture, they have kept nearly the same design for all of this time? I suppose they think it efficient, although, I know nothing of vessel designing. With a shrug, I continued to the ship's navigation room, remembering being on a craft much like when I was chosen to go on previous journey.

"Ah, Korvak. What do you need? Where are the ones that arrived with you?" Rakel said in greeting when I entered the room, peering warily over a console to see where my companions were. "She is resting and the construct is watching over her. I need information, it has been two-thousand _atnos_ since I have seen any of our kind. I need to know what has changed."

She gave me a considering look before looking over her shoulder to one of her subordinates, "Give him access to the archives." She ordered to a thin male at a console. "Of course." He replied obediently, rapidly pressing at the keys. He pointed to another station as an orange, octegonal and flat holo-screen appeared. I went over and steeled myself for what I might find. Taking a deep breath, I tapped in my clan information.

I had hoped that at least Kirana, my sister had somehow survived, perhaps choosing to preserve herself. I continued reading and found that she died shortly after giving birth to her second son. I sighed heavily and shook my head, still searching. They both grew up and died of old age as was expected over two millenia.

For what seemed like hours later, my neck was becoming stiff from staring at the scrolling characters and images. Both of my parents died of old age as well, my mother was one-hundred and five, my father, one hundred and twelve, impressive, but I was still alone. All I could do now is wait until we reached _Kémelom_, our home planet and wait for whatever judgment or orders I will recieve from the Council. I could not be sure as to what to expect from the _Korjos, _the militarist faction I served in; whether I was still considered a soldier to them after two millenia. I shook my head again before resigning myself from the console, turning to face Rakel, "How long before we will reach Kémelom?" She had been intently studying something over the shoulder of the technician when she heard me speak. "Sometime in this next cycle, it will not be long. Perhaps three more epoch, I advise you rest." She replied without looking up, reaching over his shoulder to press at something on the console.

I merely nodded before walking up the steps and out the door, making my way back to my quarters. I opened the door to see the artificial one sitting at the foot of her bed, staring at her sleeping form. He looked up when he heard me enter, briefly locking his eerie blue eyes with mine before turning his attention back to his mistress. I narrowed my eyes warily and quietly walked over to them, seating myself on my own bed, my gaze falling on her face as she lay on her side. She looked so weary and had a pained look creasing her sleeping features. It was disheartening and I could not be certain if she would have the strength for the trials ahead. She mumbled something in her strange tongue, I gave the one at her feet an expectant raise of an eyebrow. It looked at me before looking back down, _"She may be dreaming of her past, it is not pleasant." _It explained slowly, its expression grave.

I stared at it, taken aback, did this _thing _have the ability to see into her thoughts? "How do you know this?" I demanded, my voice just above a whisper, I was ready to tear its head off again if it answered incorrectly. _"I have seen her dreams through a device when we were on our vessel, she remembered this often. I am merely guessing."_ It replied calmly.

I relaxed my hands, they were unconsciously balled into fists. She stirred and rolled over, turning away from me, sighing slightly. How our elders conviced us that they were utterly corrupt and beyond help, I may never know. When I see this smaller being, I feel the need to protect her and I am reminded of my younger sister when we were children, it seems so long ago. We ar-_were_ about four years apart and I took it upon myself to protect her.

I shook my head somberly, she was gone and I will never see her children, my nephews, for they are gone now as well. I wondered if this one truly had no other being of her kind to call kin or companion. If it were indeed true, I pity her, reguardless of how physically or mentally strong she may be.

"Ma'am? You must wake up." David said to her, nudging her shoulder gently. She blinked her eyes open, grateful that Korvak left so she could sleep in peace. She felt a bit more rested and was also grateful that David didn't dream, at least in a way that she could see. "We will arrive shortly, Miss." He continued as she looked over the the bed to her left, where the Engineer sat, staring intently at the floor, lost in thought about his family.

_"I am sorry for your loss." _She told him sincerely when she saw what he read and remembered, images of a younger, female Engineer, her expression happy, her clothing billowing behind her as she ran to meet him, his sister. More images followed, an older couple smiling as they faced him, his parents.

_"As am I." _He replied without looking up.

She stretched and looked to her artificial companion, studying his features as he stared back at her. A few moments passed before he said anything. "Yes, ma'am?"

"Who were you modeled after, David? Weyland when he was younger?"

"Not precisely, no, only similar. I suppose I'm to look as though I'm related to him."

"I am glad you do not look like a clone of him, you have your own unique appearance, at least for the Eight line."

"Thank you, ma'am."

There was a shift of movement to her left, Korvak was watching her with a furrowed brow, _"Is what you told me true? You have no kin or companions on your home world?" _He asked, his voice hopeful.

She debated on whether or not to tell him. _"I. . .do have a brother, I have never met him and he is ten years older than I. He knows nothing of my existence. I only found out purely by mistake. I was secretly perusing my genetic database, curious to find out if I did indeed have no one else." _

Korvak seemed to mask his shock, _"This information was kept from you? What would your. . . 'creators' gain from such a thing?" _

She gave a small sigh before replying, _"They assumed I would attempt to contact him and ruin all of their 'hard work' that they had done on me, as if I would be tainted from his contact. I found this information rather recently, not long before my journey to the 'Condemned Moon' and had not actually had the opportunity to contact him, fortunately for my 'masters'." _

_"Do your kind not place much value on your kin?" _He sounded angry now.

She looked at him, _"Not from my personal experience, no. From what I have read, it is supposed to be otherwise."_

David spoke up, his voice intrigued, "Kaito Nakamura, yes? You mother gave birth to him when she was a teen of sixteen I believe."

Ayumi looked over at him and nodded, unsurprised that he knew nearly everything about her. "I am twenty-three and he is thirty-three now. Apparently, we are both from the same father as well."

"Interesting. . ."


	8. Chapter 8

"Interesting. . ." The android said, his expression thoughtful before he smiled at her calmly.

She couldn't help being suspicious of the android-she mentally slapped her wrist, _'Stop it! He doesn't have any further orders other than to watch over you, what could he possibly plan for you and why?'_ She looked away and shook her head slightly, looking as though she needed to clear her thoughts. She moved to sit on the edge of the bed and picked up the helmet frame and David going over to help her, picking up the dome helmet.

_"What does the planet's air hold? Is it breathable for me?" _She asked Korvak, he had been looking off and blinked before looking over at her, as if she jarred his thoughts.

_"Perhaps, we will have to inquire with Rakel or a technician." _She nodded as she snapped the frame in place and took the helmet that her companion handed her, tucking it under her arm.

_"We will be arriving shortly. Converge in the docking bay." _Rakel broadcast across the vessel from some unseen audio device above their heads. Ayumi looked up at Korvak as he walked to the door and gestured for her to follow.

Ayumi was shaking slightly from unease and excitement as they walked down the corridors to the docking bay. She had no idea what to expect from this planet, only what David described to her; cold and possibly barren-looking. When they arrived in the docking bay, Korvak was ahead of them, speaking to a thinner and shorter, male Engineer. She mentally giggled ridiculously, he looked 'nerdy'. She couldn't believe how similar they were to humans.

She composed herself as Korvak walked back over to them, _"He has told me that you must wear a mask as your lungs are not prepared for the extreme cold as ours are. He has also said that there may be a treatment to strengthen them, should you be accepted among our people." _She blinked and glanced over at the male, she now knew his name was Aparthos, such a strong name for one who didn't look it.

_"Do __**you**__ believe I will be accepted?" _She asked nervously, unconsciously wringing her gloved hands together, eyeing the other Engineers and then looking back up at Korvak.

His expression turned stern as he looked down at her, _"I will do everything in my power to ensure that you are, for __**I **__already have, Alpos Semos." _She seemed shocked at his statement and name he gave her, 'Small One'.

With wide eyes she extended her mind to his to see if that was how he genuinely felt. She nearly fell over when she discovered that he wanted to fiercely protect her and thought of her as one of his own, her image echoing the feeling of a younger sister. She knew she would never be able to replace his lost sister and that he knew that as well.

_"I. . am honored to be thought of as such and I am deeply grateful for your kindness." _She told him, knowing he knew that she saw into his mind.

He bowed his head with a smile, _"Indeed. I have seen how you consider me when you looked into my mind just now, I am also grateful and fortunate that you are so forgiving of me for attempting to kill you when we first met." _She blinked, realizing that sometimes, when she looked too far with her mind into another's, her own opened to them. She expected to be shocked, but instead was humbled by this revelation. She gave him a shy smile, earning one in return before he straightened, clasping his hands behind his back and turning to the other Engineers. Ayumi could see why he was chosen to be in this military, he seemed to have the look for it as he stood, straight and strong.

"Miss, look, the window is opening." David said with a point of a finger to a previously unseen, oval window frame, the blast covers on the outside slowly sliding apart to reveal a raging blizzard outside as they neared the planet's surface. The atmosphere was dark and grey, obscuring some of the daylight trying to seep through the cloudy, fierce weather.

"What time is it on this planet now?" She blurted, staring outside. "If I am correct in assuming, it is nearing the end of the day, just before the sun is to set." David replied, watching as well with clear interest.

_"We will be landing very shortly. If you want to survive our planet's harsh cold, I suggest you wear this or your crude helmet." _Rakel told her from across the room as Aparthos walked over and handed her the mask. She slowly took it from him, hearing his thoughts of how interesting he found her to look and be, before he bowed slightly and walked back to his commander to stand by her side. The mask looked almost like a plastic one from Earth, the kind used for oxygen, rounded and clear. She tentatively put it to her face, giving a startled yelp when it expanded and clung to her skin, encompassing her entire face.

She heard low snickers from the crew as they watched her. She gave them a dirty look before looking over at David, "Will you be alright, David?"

He looked at her for a moment with a blank expression before reply with a strange smile, "Quite alright, thank you, Miss." Another smile similar to one he would give one of the human crew members. Maybe she was just being paranoid, but it looked like an irritated, almost sarcastic smile. She masked her suspicions and looked back up at Korvak. He was watching the android with narrowed eyes before noticing the smaller humanoid looking up at him.

_"I am told we will be greeted by members of the Korjos, to escort us to the Hall of Elders in the City of Peace. This is the city where I was born, raised and trained in." _He told her as he looked back up toward the huge docking doors. She swallowed nervously, she already felt extremely out of place and tried to pull her mind away from all around her to keep herself from panicking.

_'There is only so much he will be able to do for you, keep it together.' _She mentally told herself, straightening and uneasily swallowing again.

There was a rumbling noise and an abrupt but slight _'bump'_ as the vessel landed. The gigantic doors slid open to reveal a hall-like tube attached to a building, protecting them from the harsh elements of this planet. About half a dozen Engineers walked in, all neatly lined up and wearing armored biosuits and holding weapons of some kind, vaguely resembling guns. She noticed a few of them give her startled looks before composing themselves and stopping in front of the three.

_"They will wish to separate us, I advise you do as they say." _Korvak told her in a low voice before stepping forward to meet the other soldiers. He crossed an arm across his chest, his hand up near his opposite shoulder, a salute. She nodded, straightening and keeping her hands at her sides, hoping to silently tell them she meant them no harm.

Korvak was correct when he said they would be separated, after they put some type of energy shackles on her wrists, she was ordered to follow two individuals to an awaiting, smaller vessel.

She watched them roughly shove David toward another vessel. _"Please! Stop! He means no harm and will do as you say!" _She blurted and stepped toward them, getting her arm grabbed by one of her captors.

_"Silence! You will not speak again until spoken to!" _He barked down at her. She glared over at them and the air around her rippled with anger.

_"Enough! This life has saved mine and the construct is her companion, in the two millenia I was absent, does this no longer hold value to our people?!" _Korvak demanded, his voice a gutteral growl. They froze when they heard this, all looking at him with incredulous expressions, as if he dare question their people's' standards.

There was a pause of silence before the ones escorting the android gentled their actions on him. He had fallen over and was standing up, running a hand over his touseled, blonde hair and looking back at his companions. Ayumi noticed the gaurds with her were now barely touching her, only nudging her along.

The Japanese woman had her face pressed against the window of the vessel as they smoothly sailed over the elegant city, the buildings (if they were primitive enough to be called that..) were silvery, almost reminiscent of brushed steel, rounded and tall; small, with glowing, oval windows dotting their sides. Her eyes nearly popped out of her skull as she gaped at the scene, the structures completely unharmed or unphased by the harsh weather, as if they were enveloped in an invisible, protective shield. Her escorts allowed her near the window, giving her strange looks when she requested it, nearly begging them.

There was almost no change in movement as the small ship touched down, moving through a now barely visible barrier, an entrance melting away for them to enter. As she was led out of the vessel and she looked up at the impossibly stately and ancient looking building, it's surface swirling with hues of golds and blues, almost iridescent. Her eyes watered at the sight, she had never seen or dreamed anything like it and felt very primitive and small.

_"Move_,_ Aimom." _One of the escorts spat harshly to her with a slight shove. She bristled at the name he called her, '_Replication'. _She resisted the urge to fling him away with her mind, only turning to look up at the the enormous structure the stood before, the rounded frame of the huge entrance was adorned with glowing, jewel-like lights.

The doors gracefully slid apart to reveal a hall-like area, doors marking it's sides, the walls a silvery-lavender and brightly lit from somewhere above. She gulped at the lump that was forming in her throat as they walked on smooth, runed floor. She sensed more, older minds nearby, buzzing and murmuring cautiously as they approached. They were expecting them. She dared to look back to see David being walked directly behind them, Korvak similarly even further back in their dense line.

Two more armored guards stood outside the main door to the inner chamber, their faces masked by elegant, organic helms as they held gnarled staves, the tips glowing with crystals that emanated a feeling of physical power.

She felt their gaze boring into her face but she straightened and stared them down. They seemed to be somewhat taken aback by this before they parted to open the door for them to enter. She was nearly blinded by the sight before her, golds and silvers were shining on the walls and lined pillars from the daylight shooting from a the huge, round, skylight high above them, easily several stories high. She rubbed at her eyes before she was pushed to move forward, taking in the circular, tiered sections that jutted out from the back wall of the giant room in front of them, looking like enormous stairs.

Ayumi felt the scrutinizing gazes of the dozen, elder Engineers as they sat behind the collective, desk-like surfaces. The Council.

One slowly stood and stared her down. _"I have been told you can speak our language, step forward now." _He commanded her. She silently obeyed and stepped forward, her escort's hand on her shoulder, pushing her only slightly. _"Your kind must be destroyed before your taint spreads to the stars. This was foiled by an incident on the world we now call Wétāmi Louksnā. Why have __**you**__ come?"_

She gulped and straightened,_ ''Wétāmi Louksnā', 'The Forbidden Moon.'' _She thought to herself as she considered what to say, unsure if whatever she would say would doom her. _"I. . .Have come in search of answers, I would have them before I perish." _

The old man seemed stunned by this, whether she could actually speak this ancient language or that she almost demanded. Ripples of murmuring echoed in the metallic room. _"Why have you come alone?" _Another, slightly younger looking male asked of her, his voice almost strained.

She pointed back to David, _"He and I are the only ones left of the expedition to the Moon we call LV-223. The others with us and your soldiers were ended by creatures spawned by the black substance to be used on our planet." _

_"An artificial being? Abomination!" _Another hissed angrily.

_"What of you_? _Who are you in relation to this?" _The first asked, ignoring the other's outrage as he pointed to Korvak.

_"Step forward and explain why you are here." _Korvak bowed his head slightly in respect before stepping forward to stand next to Ayumi, straightening and keeping his arms at his side.

_"I am the only surviving member of the Korjos Stṛnos dispatched to the Moon."_

_"That was over two millenia ago, how is this possible?" _

_"I was preserved in the stasis chamber and awoken by the Ermos Áimneumi." _Ayumi felt him flick his gaze down, his thoughts apologetic._''Ermos Áimneumi', Abandoned Copies.' _She mentally translated the name the Engineers gave her people, cringing slightly.

_"This life risked her own to save both of ours, I would not be here to tell this to you had she not assisted me. She is different from others of her kind as she possesses abilities even beyond ours."_


	9. Chapter 9

_"This life risked her own to save both of ours, I would not be here to tell this to you had she not assisted me. She is different from others of her kind as she possesses abilities even beyond ours." _Korvak said confidently.

Several members of the Council stood in shock an anger, uttering disgruntled complaints. The first and oldest raised his hand, _"Enough! __**I**__ will hear of these. . 'Abilities' this one has." _Ayumi blinked and looked up at Korvak, he had his head turned toward her but his eyes locked his leaders.

She stepped forward and took a breath, thinking her sentence through carefully before saying anything she might regret, _"I was engineered by those you call the Ermos Áimneumi', to possess the mental capacity to manipulate objects and see the thoughts of others with my mind. I am one to come out of thirty-three subjects and I am the first success."_

_"You lie! This would make your kind are even more far gone than originally thought!" _One of the more arrogant sounding males spat at her.

_"Do you truly believe this? If you destroy us as a race, you are no better than we. I have no interest in the affairs of my people's leaders in their wars and pointless squabbling. I do not know the reason for __**my**__ creation other than it was possible for them, because they could." _She said genuinely, raising a brow. This earned a pause of silence before the low rumbling of their murmuring voices filled the room again.

_"I have no wish to return to my home planet as I have no k-" _She froze in mid sentence, remembering her only family, a brother who she has never met and may never meet. A hand was put on her shoulder and she looked up to see Korvak giving her a small smile and mental ripple of comforting warmth before he returned to his stance.

She swallowed her sadness and looked back at the expectant Council members. _"You may choose to imprison me, but I seek to do no harm to your people and I can only say this about __**my**__ people: we are a young race compared to yours and we are like children, we have not yet grown to our full potential. While there has been a great deal of violence from us, I believe that, given enough time, we will properly mature." _She said, her voice almost pleading.

_"That may be true, but we cannot abide by such greed we have seen from your leaders."_

_"Has there been war and times of hardship from your people early in development? I very much doubt that there was not and from what I have seen, this breeds violence and sometimes greed. I cannot speak for or lie about what the Human race has done, as it saddens me as well. I do not wish for the destruction of them, nor do I wish them pity." _She said, suddenly realising she had somehow become a sort of ambassador of her people, and that their judgment from their makers might fall on her shoulders.

This revelation rocked her to her core and her knees buckled with shock, sending her nearly facefirst into the pavement-like floor. There was a rippling of gasps and murmuring at this as her mind brought a bubble to deafen the blow, bouncing her upper half up slightly and she instead landed on her palms. David kneeled at her side as she stared with wide eyes at the dark grey floor. He put a hand to her back, gently and wordlessly pulling her to her feet.

She finally found her voice when she stood, _"I am no dignitary, I am only speaking to be what __**I**__ find to be the truth. Am I correct in assuming that the leaders of my people refused any assistance from yours? Deigning themselves to be adequate?"_

One of the thinner males spoke, his voice calm, _"Yes, you are correct. Much like a child refusing assistance from their parent, too proud."_

_"This is also the reason they did not reveal your existance to us as 'subjects'."_

He nodded thoughtfully at her reply, seeming mildy surprised.

_"What will your kind do with me now that I am on this world?"_

_"That is yet to be decided."_

Korvak suddenly stepped forward, _"I propose that she remain with I for the time being, for I have already pledged to protect her as a member of my clan." _There were disguntled protests from the Council at this.

He seemed to ignore this, _"She has already proven herself in saving my life and assisting me. She is not a murderous monster as your ancestors have led me to believe, which in turn leads me to believe that all of her kind are as such." _He continued defiantly, his voice strong.

_"This matters not! Both of these beings have no right to be on this world!" _The youngest looking male said as he stood, she was surprised to see that he didn't look much older than Korvak.

_"You would so readily ignore our traditions and customs? One of our own has accepted this one and is willing to protect her as a member of his own clan! Are we so arrogant to toss aside her actions? If what she says is true, and she did indeed risk her life to save another, are we to simply __**ignore**__it?" _An elder, female voice was speaking this, her words echoing through the round room. She stood and her hood that masked her face fell to reveal her gracefully aging features.

_"She is not of our kind!" _Was the angry, arrogant reply from the young male. There was a bubbling of voices rising again. The eldest member raised a palm and the voices slowly quieted, _"We cannot ignore this one's actions, but how indeed do we know if it was her life at stake and why she chose to defend him?" _

Ayumi jutted her chin out stubbornly, taking a step forward, _"If you will permit, I can show you my memories." _He stared at her, a frown creasing his ancient features as he turned to speak in a hushed voice to the ones on either side of him. _"How would this be acomplished? How am I to know that this would not be a ploy to harm me?"_

_"You would not. There are no words that I could say to convince you otherwise. Please know this though: I have no intention of harming any of your kind because I, myself would risk harm for the repercussions it would bring."_

He looked at her, his expression thoughtful but cautious as he turned to either side of him to the other members again to discuss this, earning hisses of protest and whispers of possible encouragement. There was a pause of silence before he spoke again, _"Very well, approach." _He said, motioning the gaurds to follow closely behind. There were exclaims of outrage from the rest of the members. _"We do not know of her full capabilities! She could cause you great harm!" _Were one of the many warnings.

_"Indeed she could, but I am willing to see as she appears wise enough not to bring any harm to me."_

She froze in midstep when he said this, looking up expectantly. He waved again and she strode up the large, almost oversized stairs leading to the eldest Council member, noticing the other members shooting her looks of disgust and fear, leaning away from her presence. She cautiously approached the him, quietly sending him mental waves of honest intentions and hopefulness.

She made a gesture, asking to go closer to where he sat. He looked at her for a few moments, she was afraid he might reconsider but he merely gave a single nod. She straightened and moved to stand near him, nearly touching his deep, purple robe. _"Please be still, this will not harm __**you**__, but I must concentrate for you to see the full extent." _He eyed her carefully and nodded before she slowly put her thumbs and forefingers to his temple and leaning in to touch her forehead to his, closing her eyes and slowing her breathing, opening the doors to her mind and allowing them to channel between their touched skin.

_She was back in the lifepod and she knew that if she was going to survive, this monster had to be killed. She sensed the nearby Engineer's distrust, but the will to survive was greater and he was willing to do what it took to live._

It was like she was watching a movie, unable to control or manipulate any of the events happening as the memory of her snarling and pinning the creature with her mind played out before her.

_After the creature was defeated, the memory switched to the one in the medical bay, the Space Jockey that led them there was cautiously willing to help as he knew were it not for her, he would not be leading anyone anywhere. _

She let her memories flow to the Elder like a river, all the way up until the present events, she let him see what she saw in other's minds and flashes of her childhood were scattered throughout the connection.

There was yelling when she finally pulled away, her eyes now rolling back as she nearly fell over, getting caught by someone from behind, a thin trail of blood dribbling down over her lips. She laid in the individual's strong arms with short breath and her face coated in perspiration.

_"Malenkar! Are you harmed?!" _The nearby elder exclaimed.

_"No. . .I am well." _He replied and cleared his throat, a stunned look creeping onto his face as he looked at the small female now being cradled in her artificial companion's arms.

"You'll be alright, Ma'am, just breathe. .Slowly, yes. . " David said to her as she stared with wide eyes toward the ceiling, seeming to see through it. He made gentle shushing noises as he carried her carefully and slowly back down the steps, having raced up to catch her before she tumbled down the stairs.

_"What of her? Is she harmed?"_ Malenkar slowly asked as Korvak kneeled to check on her, _"If you have seen, this has happened when she overextended her mental ability to assist in the death of the Teknom." _He replied quietly, wiping away the blood trickling down her chin with a pale thumb.

Ayumi now leaned slightly on David's offered shoulder, staring at the floor and keeping her mind as tightly coiled in her head as she could, she did _not_ want to hear what they might be planning for her, David and Korvak. There were several, painstaking minutes that ticked by, they felt like hours as she shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot and fidgeting as they quietly debated.

She jumped when the eldest, Malenkar spoke, his voice loud in the huge room, _"You both will be escorted to an asigned dwelling while my fellow members and I must discuss of what you have shown me and your fate." _

She slowly nodded, her head still throbbing from the contact. She had trained to pull all of the effects away and into herself from the subject of the mental projection, including pain. _"And for you, you will report to the Korjos for your instructions."_

He bowed his head respectfully, _"As you say, Elder."_


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry for the wait! The creative juices are flowing a little slow for me lately.**

Ayumi looked up at the silvery, dark grey structure they stood in front of. It was one of the many buildings neatly lined up just outside what she assumed to be the military base. She supposed they wanted to keep a close eye on her and David while they were there. Korvak stood behind her and was speaking rapidly to one of the two gaurds posted outside the door of the building they assigned to live in.

Her brow furrowed in unease as she remembered what the Council had told her before they left the Council hall; _"It has come to our attention that while you are here, our scientists have taken an interest in how your kind's biology has progressed. We are granting their request to to study you more closely and summarily, an escort will arrive to take you to them at their request."_

Her jaw sagged open when she heard this, her lips refusing to form words and she felt irritation from Korvak as he turned back to face them, _"What is this? Has she no say in this decison?" _

_"She has already made the choice to come to this world and this is the result of that. Go now, you will be contacted for further updates." _Malenkar said with a wave of his arm. Her shocked eyes stayed glued to the elder as she was practically dragged away. She should have expected this, this must be where humans got the idea for creations like her.

She blinked and remembered where she was, focusing on the huge, oval door in front of her. She swallowed and stepped in front of it, pressing on the runic pad to open it. The door refused to open and she looked up at the masked Engineer beside it. He ignored her and she looked up at Korvak as he looked back down at her, _"The door will not open for you, only for I or either of them, I am sorry." _

She pursed her lips and looked back to the door. _"I understand. They want to keep me here. I believe they think I will go on a rampage or tell my people secrets I do not know." _She said, annoyed and her voice low. Korvak placed a palm on the panel and the door split in the center and slid apart seamlessly. The room she saw before her heavily reminded her of an extremely modern human house she'd seen when she was brought to the homes of benefactors of the Weyland Corporation. She was being 'shown off' to them to emphasise what their money is paying for.

She looked around to see a white and plush looking, circular couch with a glossy, hovering table in front of it and a staircase that trailed up the equally circular room, the surface of the steps glassy and black. She noticed another closed door and wondered with irritation if that too was 'off limits' to her. She slowly stepped in the main door, turning to reach for David's hand as he stood in the doorway. He complied and let his hand be taken in hers as she tugged for him to step in with her.

_"We are being allowed to rest for the remainder of this day. However, I must go to the base for orders tomorrow morning and I am told that a technician and armed escort will arrive to retrieve you as well." _Korvak told her as the doors closed behind them. _"They also request to take the one you call 'Deveed' for further study." _She just nodded and looked at the android as she released his hand. He gave her a slight tilt of his head and a calm smile before going over and taking a seat on the couch. _"You will be given limited access to our historic databases as well." _He continued, she nodded absently and rubbed at her arms nervously, taking in all of the unfamiliar and alien features of the main room.

She was so far away from anything that was familiar to her, the only reminder was David and she was increasingly grateful she wasn't alone at least in that respect. While she didn't want to go back to the facility she lived in, she knew she wouldn't be allowed to live a 'normal' life if she were to return to Earth. This _may_ be a chance to start over, a new life.

She couldn't help feeling alone and extremely out of place on this alien world, and frankly, it was a bit depressing. _"Ayumi, are you well?" _She jumped when she heard her name being uttered in the gravelly and gutteral voice.

She looked back to see him giving her a worried frown. _". . . I am being reminded of how alien I am on your world and while I do not wish to return to the place of my birth, I am feeling quite. . .alone." _

_"I see. . .That is to be expected, Small One. I apologize for the actions of my leaders, I would not wish any orders as the one they have issued, on anyone." _

_". . .That too is to be expected, my people must have inherited this from yours as they would do the exact same thing were you to arrive on Earth."_

He nodded bitterly and sighed, looking up toward the stairwell, _"I expect you wish to dress into something more comfortable. Unfortunately, I believe there are no articles in your size." _He said with an amused chuckle.

She smiled and chuckled as well, _"This is probably true, I think David may be able to help me find something suitable though." _She said as she turned back to her 'human' companion, "David? Would that be alright with you? We could find something for you to wear as well."

He turned away from a console at a wall he had wandered over to and looked at her with a genuine, soft smile, "Yes Miss, I believe that would be fine, thank you for your consideration." She smiled at his reaction, grateful she hadn't offended him in some way. She hadn't expected an android to be so. . . touchy.

_"This structure is one I am not familiar with but I believe the rooms are upstairs as well as the washroom." _She looked over to see him mounting the stairs, she felt he was eager to get into some more comfortable clothes as well. The biosuit was mainly made for travel in space and not planetside living.

She followed him up the stairs, curious to see if she would find the rooms comfortable or even more foreign than downstairs. When she reached the top, she felt some sort of cushioning beneath her booted feet and looked down to see some sort of beige carpeting. It looked hard and solid but yielded. She looked back up to see two doors in front of her and wondered if she would be able to go in and out of them or had to have him open them for her. She found that to be beyond annoying to her.

Korvak opened the door to the right and she followed slowly behind. She swallowed when she saw a waist height and rounded object. She guessed it was a dresser or. . something. There was a hovering, circular bed near a wall that looked very inviting to her tired eyes. He opened another door to the what she assumed was the washroom. She poked her head in to see smooth, white flooring and walls and a small chamber that looked like the decontamination unit on the vessel. She had no idea what anything did and was too tired to figure it out right now.

He shuffled past her and tugged her hand in his, pulling her to investigate the other room. Her eyes went wide and she was led into an exact replica of the one they were in. She scratched her head as they stood just inside the room. _"I suppose this room will be where David and I will reside." _She said quietly.

_"You wish for hi-it to be in here with you?" _He asked, seemingly shocked. _"It does not rest." _He pointed out. She knew he expected the Android to stay downstairs but she didn't feel comfortable in treating him like a pet that wasn't allowed to be in their owner's room. He was one of her kind.

_"I am not going to treat __**him**__as a lesser being, he is equal to me, artifical, yes, but my equal. I have made my decision." _She repied stubbornly. She studied his face, his expression a disappointed frown.

_"Do you fear he will harm me?" _She noticed from the thoughts bubbling in his head that he did, whether it be a blow or . .other. She mentally and verbally scoffed, she doubted David had any sexual 'urges' like humans or, frankly,Engineers did. There was a twinge of purple that blossomed on his cheekbones and she suddenly realized he was _blushing_.

The frown on her face didn't waver as she replied, _"Very well, I will ask that he stay in the living room below for this night if that eases any of your discomfort." _ He seemed relieved but vaguely squirmed at her reading his thoughts and seeing those images.

He only nodded and pointed to a barely visible doorway, _"There should be clothing for you to wear in there, large clothing, but something other than what you already wear." _He said as he cleared his throat awkwardly before turning to leave. _"Wait, will I have any difficulty entering any doors as I had at the entrance?" _

He turned back, _"No, merely the one at the entrance, and my quarters." _He replied stiffly. She nodded and watched him leave with a sigh. She walked out of the room to see David standing at the top of the stairs, waiting patiently for her. "David, hello. Do you need something?" He smiled, "Where would you like me to stay?"

"Would it be alright if you stayed downstairs tonight? It will give you an opportunity to research what history we have access to and perhaps also a chance to study the struture." He bowed his head, "Of course, Ma'am. Would you like some help in finding something suitable to wear?" She glanced back at the 'closet', "Er, yes please. I have a feeling they may be much too large for either of us."

She held up an outfit she _thought_ belonged to a female Engineer, but she couldn't be sure because of the size. She sat on the edge of the bed and watched him carefully examine the huge, 'shirt' and pants. They were almost magnetic; the set would adhere gently to one another and each garment had no seams but had black, bold designs against the light tones of grey and cream, similar to embroidery. David reached into a utility pouch and pulled out a precision laser-cutter. "If I am correct, I may be able to make this garment smaller, to tailor it to a comfortable size. I believe this material is very similar to the suits the Engineers wear, almost biological; it should 'heal'." He said as he looked up from the clothes.

She blinked and nodded with wide, interested eyes, hoping he was right and didn't end up ruining it. "Ma'am, if I may take your measurements." He said as he put it on the bed next to her and held out his hands.

". . .Do you need me to undress?" She asked, sounding a bit uneasy.

"If it would make you uncomfortable, no. I should be able to compensate for your suit's fabric density."

She seemed to consider this for a moment before speaking again, "No, that's fine, I trust you. It is probably a good idea for a better fit." She replied quietly and started unhooking her helmet frame.

He helped her out of her suit and she was grateful that her skin could breath from being so long in the Prometheus suit, her skin was starting to get 'pruney'. She stood in her undergarments and held out her arms in a 'T' shape and let him use his hands for measuring, she assumed he could use them like a measuring tape. She stifled a childish giggle, his fingers were cool on her skin. "Sorry, Miss, nearly done."

About ten minutes later, David managed to tailor the outfit to fit her and himself to a degree; it was a bit loose but very comfortable, much like the blanket on the vessel, cool and smooth, reminding her of a soft cotton.

"David, if it's alright with you, I need to take a shower or. . .whatever they have. I do not know how any of it works."

"Of course, Miss, I would be glad to help." He replied politely as he pulled off his own suit. His square chest was pale but attractive as he pulled on the pants over his light blue boxer briefs. Her face reddened and she suddenly became very interested in her now long nails. She heard cloth rustling and saw him pull the light colored shirt over his head in the corner of her eye. She looked down at their feet as he moved to stand in front of her, she smiled at seeing his bare feet, she'd never seen them before. He held out a hand, gesturing toward the bathroom, "Shall we?"

She nodded before following him into the washroom. She watched him as he stood just outside the chamber to study the light blue and green runes inside. He expertly pressed them in a sequence and a triangular, stonelike object rose from the side of the wall, about three feet above his head. She suddenly remembered that these being weren't human and much taller.

A thoughtful 'Hmm. .' came from David as he pressed the runes in a different sequence, causing a liquid to come cascading out of the object she assumed was the 'showerhead'. She glanced down at the flooring and expected to see the liquid puddle like water would, only it seemed to evaporate or at least be absorbed by the smooth flooring.

"This should be a comfortable temperature, Ms. Nakamura." He said as he withdrew a hand and stepped aside.

She looked to the shower and then to him nervously, "Do you know what that liquid is made out of?"

"From what I can see, visually, it is similar to water, perhaps a mild disenfecting agent."

She slowly nodded and moved to pull off her shirt. "I will wait in the bedroom, Miss." He said, turning and heading to the door.

"I'll let you know when I'm done so you can shower as well, David."

For the third time in the past hour, she saw him smile, seeming grateful for taking him into account.

She hugged her arms and looked down at the white, marble-like floor at her feet, past her bare body. She sighed and pressed the small and pale blue runes on the wall, unconscously bracing herself for a harsh jet of heated water to come shooting out.

She was pleasantly surprised when warm liquid washed over her shoulders. A contented and tired sigh echoed in the small washroom as she enjoyed her first 'real' shower.

**Not much action going on in this chapter, I think they need a bit of a rest from their ordeal, don't you? I tried to describe all of the features of the building in a way that was somewhat familiar, but also alien. I hope I succeeded.**

**I will gladly accept ideas and concepts through PMs (you can only do this if you have an account, which is free). For you Guests, I'm sorry but I don't feel comfortable putting my E-mail on here.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry for the delay! I hope you all like this chapter!**

Ayumi was woken from a sound sleep in the hovering bed by a sharp beeping noise and the familiar growling of an Engineer's voice, it wasn't Korvak, it wa- she bolted up and remembered that she was supposed the subject of possibly invasive study. The air around her raven hair rippled with irritation at the thought of being tested on, she just couldn't get away from it.

She sighed and pulled herself out of the floating bed. There were voices that sounded like arguments, she was surprised that she recognized Korvak's irritated voice booming. They were speaking so rapidly that she couldn't understand it. Her eyes went wide when she realized something, _'David!'_

She made a mad dash to the door and slammed her hand on the panel, opening it and running into the armored Space Jockey at the top of the stairs. He wasn't jarred in the least by the collision and harshly snatched her wrist in his rubbery, gloved hand. She yelped and tried to pull away, _"Watashi ga yukō!"_ She shrieked, forgetting any other language but her own.

_"Enough! You will not harm her or you will have me to answer to!" _Korvak growled menacingly.

The Engineer holding Ayumi didn't seemed threatened as he stood, his helmed face hiding any possible emotion.

"David! Where are you?!" She yelled past her captor, toward downstairs.

"I'm fine, Miss. I believe they are going to take us in the same vessel." She seemed visibly relieved her Earth companion was alright, at least for now.

_"Move_,_ Aimom!"_ He spat, disgusted, pulling her and nearly yanking her arm out of her socket.

She whipped up to glare at him, very much tempted to tear off his helmet to see his face. She looked back over her shoulder to see Korvak in some kind of dark blue, military outfit, vaguely similar to something on Earth; albiet more elegant and smooth. He was giving the other male a fierce glare that looked like it would bore straight through him.

Were it not for the _possiblility_ of having a new life and being at least somewhat accepted _eventually_, she would have no problem punching him through the smooth wall. _"Do not underestimate my strength merely because I am female and one of the Ermos Áimneumi. I am stronger than you may think."_

_"You dare threaten me?"_

_"I dare to __**warn**__ you." _She replied with a deepening glare. _". .I will do as you say. But do __**not**__ attempt to harm me __**or **__my artificial companion or you will face my rage." _She said, her voice dangerously low.

He seemed ruffled by this, she could almost hear his teeth audibly clench, but he loosened his grip on her wrist. She felt that they had just now come to a cautious agreement as she was led outside and into the light. She looked over her shoulder again to see Korvak watching them carefully. She gave him a nod and sent him reassuring thoughts, encouraging him to go do what he needed to do. He narrowed his eyes and his jaw seemed to stiffen before he stepped into the awaiting vessel, the sleek shape distorting slightly by an opening melting away.

She looked back to see David being led into another small ship, turning back to look over his shoulder at her. Her escort, whose name she now knew was Kalankis, took both of her wrists in one of his hands and pulled out a small sphere of metal, touching it to her skin. Like liquid mercury, it enveloped her wrists halfway up her forearm and just below her palm, forming seamless shackles.

Her nostrils flared with irritation as he pulled her roughly into the interior of the ship.

She was too uneasy to enjoy the view, her thoughts of what was possibly to come for her. They would probably frown down upon the surgical experiments that the humans conducted on her; judging by how Korvak reacted when he saw the scar down her spine. She nervously wrung her hands and looked over at her Earth companion. "Are you uneasy, Miss? Your heart rate just increased."

She swallowed and nodded, "What do you suppose they will do with me?"

"It's hard to say, perhaps you should show them what was done to you as a child."

"I have the right to defend myself if they try something harmful, don't I? Or do you suppose they think I do not deserve that right? . . What can one person do against an entire race?" She asked quietly, staring at the flooring of the ship.

David only put a hand on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring smile, "I believe the research they want would be too valuble to damage, Ms. Nakamura. Perhaps they will find you more facsinating than you realize."

She looked him, her blank expression turning to shock at his words, he sounded so. . .human. She smiled in return before looking out the window to see their ship nearing the ground in front of a white, rounded structure. "Do you think any of them would have bothered to learn our language?" She asked distractedly before pulling her gaze from the armed soldiers outside the entrance, to her friend.

"I don't know, Miss, perhaps if they find it interesting enough."

Heavy footsteps jarred her from her pondering and she looked up to see one of the armored engineers standing over her, _"Stand."_ He commanded. She felt him giving her a dirty look and gave him one in return before she stood and was led out of the vessel and into the sun. She looked up to see the white, near clear sky above with gray-purple clouds lazily drifting by. She squinted to try and see the almost invisible weather barrier but was pushed in the back with the butt of something to move forward.

She felt like a piece of meat being auction off to the scientists. They all wore something similar to what she now wore, their skin color barely visible against the cream and black outfit. Several of them walked over, eager to see their new subject.

The shortest male approached them, only slightly shorter than Kalankis, _"Please, remove these restraints." _He more commanded than asked. She could hear the burly male mentally debate about whether or not he should listen to this thinner man. He ended up deciding on releasing her, not worth the trouble to argue about it. With a gloved hand, he touched a jeweled finger to the bracers, melting them away and catching the metallic orb as it formed and dropped from her wrists.

One of the taller women pointed to the door, _"You may wait by the door now." _She told one of the escorts. He stiffened with irritation, but did as he was told, gesturing to the other man to follow.

Ayumi swallowed nervously and stood ridgidly in place and they murmured interestedly when they saw David being led in. _"I am told you speak our language, is this true?"_ One of the men asked her, almost not expecting her to answer.

She composed herself as best she could, brushing her bangs out of her face, _"It is. I am well versed in it." _

More fascinated murmuring and whispering, _"That will make this much simpler then."_ The first man said with a smile.

_"What do you intend to do to him and I?"_

He didn't answer, only turning to speak in a hushed voice to one of the women. Ayumi frowned, and pulled images from her childhood and recent experience in her birthplace, pushing them towards them. Silence abruptly fell over them and they seemed to process this new information, their eyes darting and wide.

When they came out of their mental trances, a few were excited and a few were positively shocked. _"So it __**is **__true! You __**can **__see into the minds of others as well as project your own thoughts!" _A third, older man said giddily. She blinked and looked to the ones with shock plastered on their faces. She could almost see them shudder at someone else's thoughts in their mind.

_". . .How barbaric! We intend to inflict no such pain."_ Was the almost horrified reply of the man whos name she now knew as Cenkal. She looked up at him dubiously. He was suddenly closer to her, standing over her and making her nearly fall back. His eyes danced with clear interest, studying her hair and features.

_"What is this?" _He asked as he put a hand to her head, _"Fascinating. ."_ He said, gently tugging at her black hair.

She swallowed uneasily before she swatted away his hand, _"It is mine." _She said testily. He didn't seem perturbed by her reaction, leaning in further until he was uncomfortably close to see her emerald eyes. Cenkal's eyes nearly matched Korvak's, causing her to freeze and mirror his curious expression, she found them so fascinating.

_"Cenkal, we must begin testing."_

He looked back suddenly, _"Oh, yes, of course."_

_"Testing?"_

He straightened and looked back to her, _"Yes, blood and tissue. We also need to scan your mental cortex."_

She blinked, mental. . .Oh, her brain. She swallowed at this prospect, it did not sound pleasant. She looked over her shoulder to see several scientists crowded around David, all speaking quickly and excitedly. She heard the word _'Dismantle'. _Her anger flared up, _"You will not __**dismantle**__ my only companion!" _She said, her voice unnecessarily high with irritation.

They stopped and looked over at her, some with frowns and others indifferent. She turned back to Cenkal, who she assumed was head of their unit, _"He and I will tell you all you need to know, but I __**refuse**__ to let you harm him, artificial or not!"_

He blinked and looked down at her, waving a hand dismissively, _"No 'harm' will be done to the construct, we simply wish to study it further."_

_"Do not forget that I see your thoughts, __**Cenkal**__." _She warned, her voice low.

He shifted his jaw thoughtfully before he turned away, _"Come, this way, we must begin. I must ask that you remove your clothing for the best accuracy and further study of your body's physiology."_

A muscle near her eye twitched with annoyance and she looked over at David as he wove around the eager engineers, making his way to stand next to her. _"You cannot see the processes of this one, correct?" _A younger woman asked, pointing to the android. Ayumi only shook her head. The young scientist proceeded to tap away on a personal holoscreen, wandering away distractedly as she did.

Cenkal pointed to a large, bowl-like object, _"You may put your articles here. I see you have effectively tailored them to fit you, interesting." _He mused before he tapped on a bright green holoscreen nearby, his thoughts buzzing with questioning images; what color her blood was, what her mental cortex scan would show, what the purpose of the needle up her spine signified.

_"My blood is red and they used the needle to control me for painful testing, it rendered me-" _She stopped herself, pursing her lips, she didn't want them to use that technique against her. He looked up from the screen, expectant for her to continue, raising a hairless eyebrow. She stubbornly stayed quiet as she turned away from him, pulling off her shirt and putting it in the bowl.

She heard him gasp, sounding intrigued, _"What is __**this**__? Is this from our technology?" _

She froze, he had seen her back, even though _she_ hadn't yet. She yelped when he touched her back, running a cold palm down her spine. She whipped around and swatted his hand again, glancing around him to see the small crowd of around eight scientists watching her. She frowned again, looking up at Cenkal before sending him the memory of the Medbay and Korvak helping her. She caught a glimpse of what he saw on her back; a pale, white stripe down her back, carefully merged with her own, peach colored skin. She frowned and stepped out of her pants, she wanted this to be over with.

_"So you __**are**__ compatible with our technology, interesting!"_ He said happily, she couldn't believe how human he sounded.

**I know it's been a while since I updated. It may be another while before the next one, please be patient!**


	12. Chapter 12

**NOTE: There have been a few changes I made for those of you who are re-reading.**

_"So you __**are**__ compatible with our technology, interesting!"_ Calenkis said happily to Ayumi as she stepped out of the pants and let them pool at her feet. She sighed and was reminded her of the laboratory of her birthplace when she was supposed to get ready for testing. She picked up the pants and put them in the large basin with her shirt, watching it slide from its place at the edge and softly collide into the other garment.

She hadn't realized until now that her hands were shaking and the anxiety was now blossoming its way from her chest and tingling at her fingertips. She hugged at her arms nervously and looked over where the Engineer scientist was waiting for her. He smiled at her eagerly and gestured to a strange and almost cage-like object silently that was silently hovering. The large 'armature' was comprised of four stone like bars that gracefully arched and met at the top and bottom, symmetrically creating a nine foot long ellipse shape.

Ayumi bit her lip uneasily as she walked over, dwarfed by at least three feet in the shadow of the eight foot humanoid as he looked down at her. Calenkis pointed to a circular and runed sigil-like section of the flooring; it was slightly raised and about two feet in diameter on the cool gray floor next to the strange machine. Ayumi looked over her shoulder to see the rest of the scientists gathered nearby, eagerly watching.

She looked away nervously and slowly obeyed Calenkis and stepped onto the round and smooth surface. The panel lit up at the frame and rune, glowing a bright green as it responded to her weight and as if on command, the armature slowly and silently pulled one side of itself up to stand and tower to its full height with a translucent force field appearing between the billets and forming new walls. One set of bars hinged further apart to make a sort of entrance, the pale and glowing field in that particular section now disappearing as the machine moved toward her, the bottom shifting up and into itself with the new entrance aligning to enclose her and she stiffened with wide eyes as the bars moved back into place and made a quiet humming noise, the entire pod powering up.

The human telepath felt her stomach drop nauseatingly as she was lifted into weightlessness, her bare feet now floating a foot and a half off of the floor and despite now being without gravity, she couldn't move and was held firmly in place by an unseen force. She bit back a yelp when she was rotated and tilted back with the frame as it silently moved back into its original place.

Ayumi felt her skin prickle and the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end when a soft mist began to fill the pod. The scientist spoke up again, _"Please be still, this will scan your mental cortex and take various samples."_

Ayumi swallowed and stiffened, her toes curling with the spark of fear forming in her chest. Three differently shape instruments deployed from somewhere underneath and startled her. A small, cylindrical bar moved to stop to be perpendicular with her chin and forehead. The item lit up as if it was molten and split down the middle before separating and leaving a glowing and gossamer film in its wake. The length of the light blue film circled her head as she watched the alien lettering briefly dance along its surface before fading and the main instrument vanishing somewhere under her.

Ayumi felt a prick in her thigh and strained to see the culprit; an octahedron and light green instrument as it retracted a needle-like protrusion and pulled away to disappear with its counterpart. The frame of the entire machine was revolving again and the droning sound was intensifying.

Ayumi felt a numbed but precise scratching before the familiar feeling of smooth cloth replaced the exposed spot below her shoulder blade and was reminded of when she would have a muscle biopsy done on her to check her progress. The human scientists would numb the area and then punch out a section of tissue. The area would be sore for weeks as it tried to rebuild the layers of skin and muscle it lost.

Ayumi was startled by the bars suddenly lighting up almost blindingly and now spinning so fast that all she could see was a wall of light. One last instrument in the shape of a large infinity symbol flew to a stop in front of her eyes. The item flashed in various colors before it seemed to align with her pupils, freezing them in place. She was unable to look away as it projected symbols, the lettering searing into her mind.

Something clicked in her brain and a wave of telekinetic energy burst in a blind shock wave from her mind, rocking the entire pod and eliciting yells from the scientists outside. Ayumi felt like the shackles of her abilities have been violently broken and the mental beast was finally free. Her mind desperately screamed to make it stop, only to crack one of the bars of the enclosure in response. She mentally wrestled to control the mental energy, to pull away and coil it back where it belonged.

Almost as soon as it started, the contraption popped in a puff of lavender flame and all at once, the 'demon' of her mind was sucked back into her consciousness like the crack of whip, the recoil making her head snap back. Her entire body was tensed, tingling and her ears were ringing; she had never lost control that badly.

The thick bars of the pod had finally stopped and her stomach plummeted again as the machine lifted its side again and drifted back to the runed panel in the floor. Ayumi was slowly lowered onto her feet where she teetered and stumbled out, landing nearly face first, a reflexive and unconscious bubble of telekinesis softening her fall. Her chest was heaving as lay on her stomach with her cheek to the floor with wide eyes. There was a shuffling noise and David was immediately at her side, his hands at her shoulders as he gently rolled her on her back. The android at her side was roughly pulled away and was replaced by the end of an energy staff pointed at her face, the owner radiating fear and anger.

Calenkis sounded more excited than afraid as he rushed up Ayumi and the guard standing over her, _"__**Incredible**__! Never have I seen anything like it!" _

Selvankis was _not_ impressed and gave the other alien a shove,_ "Idiot! Stay away before she kills you! She must be contained!"_

The scientist brushed off the other man's warning, _"Of course not. While she does have the potential, she will not."_

_"How could you possibly know this?"_

_"Did you not hear her fear during the blast? She was pleading for help from her own mind. You are under our command in regard for our study on her and if I order you __**not**__ terminate her, you __**will**__ obey, do you understand? You will have the Council to contend with when you have destroyed the only Ermos Áimneumi we have had contact with in over two-thousand years."_

Selvankis growled behind his helmet and grudgingly pulled his weapon away, he did _not_ want to contend with his leaders. Calenkis shooed the escort off and looked down at David as he made his way back to his mistress, running a hand over his disheveled, blond hair, _"You are her caretaker, yes? Do you understand our language as well?"_

The android looked up from helping the woman sit up, _"Yes, I do and I __**am**__ tasked with protecting her and staying at her side."_

"Thank you, David." Ayumi said gratefully as she accepted his help, her voice raspy with fatigue.

The tall scientist seemed pleased with David's answer and pointed to a hovering table, _"Please, put her there." _He said and gestured for his colleagues to come over to him from the far end of the lab where they stood in shock.

The other Engineers didn't seem to share the same amount of enthusiasm as the lead scientist as they cautiously walked over. David laid Ayumi on the table and looked down at her, "Are you alright, Ma'am?"

Ayumi slowly put a hand to her head, "I do not know what happened, David. It was as though my abilities did not want to be in my mind anymore."

"I suppose their technology does not agree with you."

The Japanese woman sighed, "I suppose _now_ they want to imprison me. . ."

"Perhaps, but I assume you were too dazed to hear their argument."

"What?"

"The one called Calenkis wants to continue studying you."

Ayumi only sighed again and stared up at the ceiling. There was an interested 'Hmm' from Calenkis at the console. With difficulty, Ayumi looked over, "_Am I to be quarantined or of the like?"_

_"This is far too important for you to be locked away. I __**must **__know what happened; what caused you to react in that way and __**how**__."_

The Engineer didn't look up from the console as he gestured for the group of his kind that stood behind him to approach and take a look at the scrolling and green and orange screen he was looking over. The Engineers were neatly crowded around him, eagerly investigating the screen with wide eyes.

Calenkis spoke up again as he studied the screen with eyes narrowed in concentration, his voice sounding relieved, _"Fortunately, we know now that you did not intentionally attack us. The optical-cortex scanner projected its normal coding but something strange occurred. . . We will have to investigate this."_

Ayumi looked up at David, he noticed and looked down at her with a small smile and a tilt of his head. She bit at her lip with unease before sitting up on the table and looking over at the group of Engineers at the console, _"If you are not going to imprison me, what will you do?"_

The Engineer looked at her as if the answer was obvious, _"Continue our study, of course. While it will not provide much insight to your __**people**__, this opportunity will be invaluable."_

His answer seemed to confuse her even more, impatience coating her words, _"But, where will I stay where your people will not fear for their safety?"_

_"They need not fear for their safety, they have no need to know of this and you can return to your dwelling." _He replied and looked around his colleagues for support. A few of them seemed to begrudgingly agreed, there was no need to unnecessarily cause a panic with their kind. Ayumi reached out with her mind and methodically probed each of the alien's minds to see if they would secretly betray one another. They seemed shocked by the mental intrusion but didn't protest, knowing that she would have no other way of knowing they were being honest. They all seemed too afraid of what would happen to them from their leaders if they lost this chance to gather as much information from a live human.

The scientists started to disperse from the console and were starting to clean up whatever got knocked over from the telekinetic waves.

There was another thoughtful 'Hmm' from the head scientist and Ayumi looked over at him, _"What is it? Have you found out what affected me?"_

He didn't look up from the console again, _"Not yet but there __**are **__several other things with your body that should not be."_

_"Such as?"_

The lead scientist looked over at her thoughtfully, _"Your eyes are internally 'damaged', there are several toxic chemicals on your spine and your cortex is most certainly not as we expected."_

The human pursed her lips, _"I already know this; the cost of my genetic engineering was some impaired vision that the scientists could not correct and I was also told the chemicals on my spine were to better my mental abilities."_

Calenkis shook his head with disappointment, _"These are easily corrected."_

Ayumi looked at him suspiciously, _"Indeed? How are __**you **__to know of my people's current biological development?"_

_"We intensely study your kind as well as others and can only assume the progress they have made since our contact with them a little over two-thousand years ago."_

The lead scientist put a chalky hand to his chin thoughtfully before he continued, "_However, __**your **__cortex contains abnormalities I can only attribute to your abilities. Were it not for the careful but primitive weaving of your people's base essence at your conception, I fear you would not be here this day."_

Ayumi straightened as she sat up on the cold table, _"There were thirty-two subjects before me, none lived past two years and were disfigured nearly beyond what my kind would call recognizable. I was also not artificially aged as they were."_

The taller being studied her carefully with a concentrated frown creasing his brow, _"I __**am**__ impressed with what they were able to achieve in your 'creation' as it was a very ambitious endeavor. . However, it was not without its consequences. Your kind is indeed still in a form of infancy and should not have attempted such a feat."_

The small woman gave a low sigh as she carefully stepped off the table with the help of David, _"This is true. I did not wish to be created as I was, yet I am here. How are the 'side effects' of my creation to be corrected?"_

Calenkis looked back down and seemed to be scrolling through the information on the orange and green holographic screen, _"There are several different procedures that could be performed to aid in rectifying them and they are quite simple. However, we need to deeply study your____personal physiology beforehand."_

The human expected them to want to explore everything about her genetic makeup and abilities and a faint pain traced its way up her spine as she remembered being 'studied' all her life, usually involving large doses of radiation, experimental surgeries and other painful procedures. She absently put a hand to her back, unconsciously expecting to feel the dip in flesh at her spine were the scar used to be. She relaxed slightly at the only slight depression in her skin.

**I've been doing some reworking on these chapters and going over them, I hope you liked this one.**


	13. Chapter 13

**For those of you who have already read this one, you may recognize some parts, I have been going over all of the chapters.**

Calenkis gave an intrigued grunt as he stared at the holograph of the human's skull. Ayumi looked over at the slowly rotating replica of her head and strained to make out the details, _"What is it? Did you find something?"_

The Engineer didn't look up as he enlarged the diagram and leaned closer to inspect it, _"There is a strange object embedded deeply in the abnormal section of your __ker∂srom. . ."_

Ayumi's eyes widened with shock and she looked to David, "David, do you know anything about this?"

The android seemed to choose his words with caution as he looked at her with a neutral expression, "Yes, Miss. My orders were not to allow you to discover it at any cost, but the command has been negated by the death of its giver. I am obligated to tell you of this only if you were to discover and inquire about it."

Ayumi pursed her lips and furrowed her brow, "What is it?"

"It is an inhibition and memory suppressant chip used as a precaution for your 'creators'."

She knew she shouldn't be shocked but she was in the sense that she had no idea about it and no memory of its installation. "What are you saying? That I was at one point too powerful for them to have control of me without it?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

Ayumi looked down to the floor in realization, she must be far stronger than even _she_ thought. She cleared her throat and looked back up at Calenkis as he watched her with curiosity. _"I had no previous knowledge of this object until now and I know of it's purpose; to inhibit my abilities and prevents me from remembering it's installation. My masters used this for their protection."_

Calenkis seemed delighted by this new information, _"I see now! The ocular-cortex scanner must have temporarily deactivated it and released imprisoned energy. We must see that it is removed."_

Ayumi was aghast by this and gaped at the taller man, _"Whatever for? I had no control when it was released!"_

_"We must see your full potential and this item prevents us from doing so. We will see to it that a less. . . primitive implement is used for __**our**__ safety."_

The small woman was about to continue this argument be stopped herself. Just as it was on Earth, she had no say in what was done to her and she only sighed and rubbed the back of her head and turned to David with tired eyes, "Did they do any tests on you?"

The android shook his head, "No, they only examined my eyes, fingers, that sort of thing. They would not directly talk to me either, they seem to be respecting your order for them not to dismantle me."

"Good. I will not have them take apart my only companion purely for study. I doubt they would be able to put you back in the same way."

David tilted his head slightly and gave her another small smile in reply. Ayumi wondered if his creators designed this particular smile to look conceited and insincere or if it was just her imagination.

She pursed her lips before leaning closer to his face and gesturing for him to do the same. He leaned forward and mirrored her actions before she spoke, "David, would you allow them to perform non-invasive tests like mine?"

"I wasn't aware I had a choice, Miss."

"Yes, you do. If you do not want them to, I will do everything in my power to see to it."

"Thank you, Ma'am. I will agree to any tests you think would be suitable."

She nodded slightly and looked back over to Calenkis, "_Could you not perform a test on him similar to the one performed on me?"_

Calenkis distractedly looked up, _"I suppose that __**could **__be suitable as it could yield more insight into its creation similarly to yours." _He said, his voice thoughtful. Ayumi looked back at David, wishing she could hear what he was thinking, artificial or not.

Ayumi silently took the clothes that David handed her and and looked from where her sight wandered on the floor to back up the the Engineer, _"What more must be done before I may leave for the day? Do you know of the condition of the object?" _

Calenkis suddenly looked up from a holographic replica of the human's skull as if the she snapped him out of a trance, _"It appears to be in sound condition until a new and more effective item can be created and installed. As for what more must be done for this day, we have sufficient data until tomorrow. You may dress now and prepare to be escorted back to your dwelling for the time being."_

_"How am I to know that your leaders will not be informed of what has happened today? Will there not be those who may see it as an attack?"_

_"I have no doubt that many will see it as a potential act of violence to my race but rest assured that __**we **__wish to keep you out of the hyper-prisons because this opportunity is much too valuable." _He replied and indicated the other scientists with a wave of his arm. _ "Although, I cannot say the same for Selvankis and his colleague."_ He continued and gestured to the door where the two of the armored aliens stood.Both of the men faced the lab and Ayumi couldn't see their expression but felt them radiating uncertainty and fear.

She took David's hand in hers and looked at him with uncertainty. The neutral look on his face didn't provide any comfort for her as they both were escorted back into the rounded vessel. Ayumi couldn't dispel the unease in her bubbling in her mind as she stared out of the almost intangible window. A part of her would _never_ get fathom the idea of being on a different planet, much less the one of their creators. This interest eventually overpowered her unease as she marveled at the dark mercurial structures. She noticed some sort of huge gateway leading underground and gaped at the possibility of the Engineers hollowing out some of their planet to live in. Humans had built underground vaults, yes, but Ayumi suspected there was much, much more. Perhaps on a city level.

They were nearing ground level and Ayumi hadn't realized that her face was almost plastered to the glass-like barrier for a window and leaned away cautiously and jumped when David spoke up, "Ma'am?"

She looked at her companion as he held out a hand to her. She took his hand in hers and gave the interior of the vessel one last look before being led out. They both followed Selvankis to the entrance of the 'house'. The towering alien wordlessly put his hand to the panel and opened the door and pointed commandingly for her to go through. Ayumi looked up at him curiously with a raised eyebrow and reached out one last time to his mind. The faceless helmet stared down at her and emanated impatience and unease, he just wanted to go home to his mate after his duties. Ayumi was taken aback by this and hadn't fully realized that these were sentient _beings _who had lives of their own.

He jabbed his hand again with irritation. She looked down and obeyed with a spark of jealousy flaring up. She was envious of him, of _any_one who had another to go home to and she wanted a family of her own and wished now more than ever that she had reached out to her distant brother, regardless of the outcome. Then, she would have at least _tried_. She shook her head to scatter the stray thoughts and looked over at the whir of the door smoothly closing behind David. He tilted his head curiously at her with an expression of practiced concern. She just stared at him blankly for a few moments before seating herself on the white and stiff looking couch and staring at the glassy wall ahead of her on the far side of the room.

She wondered how long she would be a lab rat for _this_ species, if she had a possible future of normalcy on this planet or if she was destined to be isolated in the same way as on Earth. She may have been bred to be a superior specimen of her kind but in the end, she was still human. She recalled that when she was in her 'home', she was never allowed to really _feel_ what she felt now but somehow had some idea what these emotions were and she found it unsettling. She kept her expression neutral amidst the inner conflicts she was having about being so far away from anything she knew, aside from David and even then, she did not _know _him very well as he probably did for her, at least on a technical and biological level.

"What time is it?" She suddenly blurted without moving.

She saw David turn his head to her in her peripheral before he spoke, "From what I've read, a full day on this planet is approximately thirty-six hours and the time now is about mid morning by Earth standards."

"Do you have a numerical value for it? It would help put it in perspective and perhaps help me adjust."

She could almost hear the impassive smile in his voice, "Of course. I have calculated that it is 15:38 and it will be another two hours and twenty-two minutes before it is noon."

Ayumi pursed her lips thoughtfully, she was not allowed to leave this building or she would be out exploring but potentially frightening, disgusting or angering many of the residents of this planet. She had not seen the actual planet, only the inner atmosphere but felt the increase in gravity and guessed that this planet was some degree larger than Earth.

She looked to her companion, "I want to know more about them."

He smiled, "This is a rare opportunity indeed."

She nodded and made herself more comfortable next to David and let herself lean back in the cushioning of the couch. There were so many things she wanted to know and she decided to voice some of the questions buzzing in her mind, "I have noticed an absence of children. . . Are there any? Have they somehow 'transcended' beyond this?"

David expertly sifted through lists, runes and screens rapidly until he came to a stop and enlarged the screen and looked to her, "Would you like me to read it to you?"

She straightened eagerly, "Yes, please."

"It seems they have stopped reproduction altogether in the recent millennium. In the several millennium before that, their young were not conceived via female, but in birthing facilities where they were grown to term and sometimes longer."

Ayumi's eyes widened at this and she was once again reminded of what the scientists on the Weyland bio lab were concocting in their incubation tubes and artificial uteri vats. Humanity should have waited to start growing people instead of prematurely creating countless lives that were doomed only to fail.

She chewed at the inside of her bottom lip thoughtfully and readied another question, "How old is their race?"

David seemed to be enjoying himself in exploring all of this information as he navigated to another page in the database, "Their first documented establishment was over ten million years ago, roughly nine times older than humanity."

Ayumi stared at the screen and squinted to make out the details of primitive carvings and instruments shown on the screen. She felt like she was looking at a parent's baby pictures and she was startled to see that the Engineers beginning was strikingly similar to her own race. Had the planet and environment been more similar to this planet, humans would possibly end up being nearly identical to their progenitors. Of course, humanity is still very, very young compared to the Engineers with their first documented knowledge being a mere one-million years old.

"Such length is hard for me to fathom, they are so. . . old."

David nodded with a brow creased in interest, "They are also long lived as individuals. After so much development in their technology and its advancements, it's not hard to believe. It says here that the average lifespan is nearly one-thousand years. This particular advancement was about seven to eight millennium ago."

Ayumi didn't think her eyes could be any wider when she heard this and she found it was hard to wrap her mind around it. Time for them must not be any issue. She blinked her drying eyes and rubbed them before leaning back in the cushions of the couch and staring at the blurry interface and found herself wondering amid all of the recent knowledge, how much sleep the Engineers needed, if any and remembered fuzzily that Korvak had slept on the trip here. She decided not to pursue this particular question at the moment because she still needed to process what she had just learned.

She didn't know how long she sat in that position on the sofa, staring almost unblinkingly ahead at the rapidly moving screen as David sifted through and perused various information. She was startled from her fast moving bio labs by David shifting and turning to look at her. She had jumped slightly and locked her emerald eyes with his pale blue ones and she had to remind herself that he was an android and not another human being. She looked at him with vague expectancy and realized she felt very stiff, "Yes, David?"

"It has been three hours and twelve minutes since your last question and if I remember correctly, you have not eaten since our arrival to this planet."

Ayumi blinked and realized that he was right and she was suddenly feeling ravenously hungry as a response. She was used to not eating for several hours because she was forced to fast for certain tests back on the orbital bio lab. She swallowed emptily, "Yes, I suppose you are right, I _do_ need to eat something, preferably soon."

**There was a lot of information and theories I wanted to get in on her as well as merge some sections from the previous chapter. I hope you all aren't too disappointed with me and I will hopefully get out another chapter after **_**so**_** long.**


End file.
